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ROAD  ACCIDENTS 


•HAW 


Prevention  of  Railroad  Accidents 

OR 

Safety  in  Railroading 


A  HEART  TO  HEART  TALK  WITH 
EMPLOYES 

Dealing  with  Facts — Not  Theories — and  Show- 
ing the  Men  in  the  Ranks,  from  Every  day 
Experience,  How  Accidents  Occur  and  How 
They  May  Avoid  Them.  An  Address  (with 
Considerable  New  Matter)  Delivered  at  Various 
Division  Headquarters  to  Employes  or  the 
New  York  Central  and  Hudson  River  Railroad 

By    GEO.    BRADSHAW 


ILLUSTRATED  WITH  ENGRAVINGS  FROM  ORIGINAL  PHOTOGRAPHS 


New  York 

The    Norman  ^V\  Henley    Publishing   Co. 

132    Nassau    Street 
1912 


COPYRIGHTED   1912 
NORMAN    W.     HENLEY    PUBLISHING    CO. 


Composition,  Electrotypine  and  Pressworic 
By   MACGOWAN   A  SLIPPER,    New  York 


INTRODUCTION 


The  author  of  this  little  work  has  no  grievance  against 
anyone.  He  yields  to  none  in  his  loyalty  as  a  ''rail- 
road man. "  Years  of  association  with  them  have  caused 
him  to  know  and  to  appreciate,  at  their  true  worth, 
the  sturdy  character  and  integrity  of  purpose  of  rail- 
road men  as  a  class.  Therefore,  what  is  said  in  these 
pages  cannot  justly  be  attributed  to  a  spirit  of  fault 
finding. 

For  ten  years  (until  recently)  he  has  been  constantly 
engaged  in  the  investigation  and  settlement  of  claims 
for  personal  injuries  and  death  resulting  from  railway 
accidents.  This  direct  and  intimate  experience,  it  is 
believed,  should  be  sufficient  to  relieve  him  of  the  charge 
of  being  a  parlor  theorist. 

For  these  many  years  he  has  been  face  to  face  with 
suffering  and  sorrow,  death  and  distress  in  a  thousand 
different  forms,  and  after  the  manner  prescribed  by 
the  law  of  the  land,  has  endeavored  to  compensate  for 
life  and  limb. 

But  we  cannot  compensate  for  this  kind  of  loss.  We 
visit  the  widow  and  the  orphan,  and  the  only  consola- 
tion we  can  offer  is  a  bank  note  to  wipe  away  their 
tears.  We  use  the  scales  made  by  legislators  and  judges 
to  weigh  money  against  misery.  The  scales  won't 
balance,  and  sincerity  is  never  satisfied  with  the  bargain. 

5 

241273 


6  INTRODUCTION 

There  is  a  better  way.  Our  " stock  in  trade"  has  been 
the  "pound  of  cure."  Let's  try  the  "ounce  of  preven- 
tion." 

It  must,  of  course,  be  expected  that  we  shall  always 
have  some  accidents  in  railroading  as  in  other  lines  of 
business  where  machinery  and  the  human  element 
enter.  But  it  must  be  admitted  that  we  have  had, 
and  are  continuing  to  have,  entirely  too  many  accidents. 

A  study  of  reports  shows  that  the  great  majority 
of  preventable  accidents  are  due  to  the  human  element. 
This  work,  being  addressed  to  employes,  naturally 
is  confined  to  that  class  of  accidents,  which  are  within 
the  power  of  employes,  by  their  own  personal  efforts, 
to  prevent.  It  does  not  profess  to  be  an  exhaustive 
treatise  covering  the  whole  range  of  accident  preven- 
tion. 

How  the  number  of  railway  acidents  can  be  reduced 
to  the  minimum  is  a  problem  which  the  management, 
the  employe,  and  the  public  are  trying  to  solve.  To 
aid  in  the  solution  of  this  problem  is  the  motive  that 
inspired  these  pages. 

GEORGE   BRADSHAW. 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  January,   1912. 


Injure  an  EXPERIENCED  MAN,  a  NEW  MAN 
must  take  his  place.  A  new  man  is  always  an 
experiment.  The  new  man  to  whom  you  extend 
the  hand  of  fellowship  to=day  may  run  a  car  over 
you  to-morrow. 


PREVENTION  OF  RAILROAD  ACCIDENTS. 


Perhaps  the  most  important  material  problem  that 
has  engaged  the  attention  of  man  has  been  that  of 
transportation.  It  is  the  one  problem  solved  by  every 
age,  and  yet,  by  every  age,  to  be  solved.  From  the 
time  the  foundation  stone  was  laid  in  the  first  pyramid 
of  Egypt,  around  whose  base  have  now  gathered  the 
sands  of  more  than  forty  centuries,  to  the  completion 
of  yesterday's  skyscraper,  transportation,  in  one  form 
or  another,  has  been  the  one  absolutely  essential  agent 
of  material  progress  and  achievement.  The  slaves  of 
old  who  carried  on  their  backs  the  material  to  build 
the  palaces  of  kings;  the  caravans  slowly  and  patiently 
exchanging  ths  simple  products  of  early  nations;  the 
canoe,  the  sail  boat,  the  wagon  train,  the  stage  coach, 
have  each  served  the  purpose  of  the  age,  and  at  the  same 
time  paved  the  way  for  our  great  railway  systems 
where  travel  is  a  delight  and  distance  a  delusion.  We 
railroad  men  may,  therefore,  congratulate  ourselves  on 
being  engaged  in  an  occupation,  consecrated  and  per- 
fected by  so  many  centuries  of  human  endeavor,  and  con- 
tributing in  ways,  so  varied  and  vital,  to  the  necessities, 
the  comforts,  and  the  luxuries  of  all  mankind. 


10  PREVENTION   OF 

The  progress  of  our  railways  is  at  once  the  wonder 
and  the  admiration  of  this  wonder-accustomed  age. 
No  other  field  of  effort  has  produced  greater  or  more 
impressive  evidence  of  material  success. 

But,  has  not  this  progress,  to  some  extent,  been  in 

a  circle?     Has  not  society  gained  and  lost?    While  the 

merchants  of  old  patiently  awaited 

Railway  Progress —   the   toiling    caravans    from    the 

Its  Cost.  East,   who   occasionally   left   the 

bodies  of  a  camel  and  its  rider 

to  bleach  in  the  sun  of  the  desert;  our  merchants  in 
their  fever  haste  to  meet  the  requirements  of  a  frenzied 
and  exacting  public,  demand  that  their  commodities 
be  shifted  over  the  earth's  surface  with  lightning-like 
rapidity,  and  the  railroads — the  caravans  of  the  twen- 
tieth century — impelled  by  motives  of  pride  and  profit, 
are  taxing  every  energy  and  straining  every  nerve  to 
meet  these  rigid,  exacting  and  ever-increasing  demands. 
That  they  have  succeeded,  no  one  questions.  But 
success  has  its  price,  and  a  part  of  the  price  of  this 
success  has  been  scrap  iron  and  kindling  wood  of  costly 
equipment,  hopeless  cripples  of  strong  and  promising 
manhood  and  graves  without  number.  We  meet  the 
demands,  but  we  break  and  maim  and  kill  and  pay. 
The  public  gets  the  benefit,  but  railroad  employes 
(and  a  part  of  the  public)  pay  the  price  in  the  coin  of 
their  blood. 

As  railroad  men — soldiers  of  commerce — wo  would 
not  stay  the  hands  on  the  dial  of  progress  nor  shrink 


RAILROAD  ACCIDENTS  11 

from  meeting  any  reasonable  and  just  demand  naturally 

and    necessarily    imposed 

Prevention  Must  Be  Rea-     by  the  complex  condition 
sonable  and  Practical.       of    modern   society.    The 

operation      of      railroads 

will  always  be  attended  with  some  accidents  resulting 
in  injury  and  death.  We  may  as  well  recognize  that 
fact  in  the  beginning.  Railroad  managers  work  under 
great  tension,  which  will  continue  to  increase  as  the 
demands  of  society  multiply.  These  demands  must 
be  met  with  reasonable  exactness,  and  railroad  employes 
are  justly  called  upon  to  assume  the  danger  inherent 
in  the  nature  of  the  business  when  properly  conducted. 
Neither  the  employe  nor  the  public  has  the  right  to 
demand  that  railroad  managers  shall  expend  huge 
sums  of  the  stockholders'  money  solely  from  a  humani- 
tarian consideration.  The  rule  of  reason  should  apply 
here  as  elsewhere.  Let  me  illustrate.  It  is  necessary 
to  install  a  switch  stand  between  two  tracks  in  a  large 
congested  freight  yard.  The  distance  between  the 
tracks  is  such  that  the  stand  cannot  be  made  to  clear 
a  man  on  the  side  of  a  car.  At  any  time,  especially 
during  the  night,  a  man  riding  on  the  side  of  a  car  may 
strike  the  stand  and  be  thrown  under  the  wheels.  The 
danger  can  be  eliminated  by  increasing  the  distance 
between  the  two  tracks,  but  this  would  require  the 
removal  of  perhaps  fifty  other  tracks  at  a  cost  of  many 
hundreds  or  thousands  of  dollars.  No  railroad  manager 
should  be  asked  to  go  to  this  expense,  nor  is  he  morally 
responsible  if,  at  some  time,  an  employe  is  injured  or 
killed  by  reason  of  the  position  of  this  stand.  If  the 


12  PREVENTION   OF 

switch  stand  is  as  low  as  permissible  and  provided  with 
light  at  night,  all  reasonable  provisions  for  safety  have 
been  made.  We  should  not  expect  perfection  in  rail- 
roading any  more  than  in  government.  But  we  may 
reasonably  expect  a  great  improvement. 

We  shall  be  better  prepared  to  work  together  for  this 
improvement  if  we  first  get  a  definite  and  clear  under- 
standing of  the  conditions  which  we  confront.  I,  there- 
fore, ask  your  patience  for  a  few  minutes  while  I  show 
you  the  personal  injury  record  written  by  the  railroads 
of  the  United  Sates. 

During  the  year  ending  June  30th,  1911, 10,396  persons 
were  killed  and  150, 159  injured  on 

Extent  of  Personal  the  railroads  of  the  United  States. 
Injuries  in  U.  S.  Of  these,  3,602  of  the  killed  and 
126,039  of  the  injured  were  em- 
ployes— not  passengers,  travelers  on  highways,  trespass- 
ers or  others,  but  you  shopmen,  trackmen,  and  trainmen. 

According  to  this  report  for  1911,  one  out  of  every 

13  of   all  employes,  and  one  out  of  every  8  of  all  train- 
men (enginemen,  firemen,  conductors,    and   brakemen) 
were  injured.     And  bear  in  mind  that  these  figures, 
great  as  they  are,  do  not  include  employes  disabled  by 
their  injuries  for  only  three  days  or  less,  of  whom  no 
report  is  made.    In  other  words,  of  the  126,039  employes 
injured  during  the  year  1911,  every  one  received  more 
than  a  trivial  injury.     As  a  matter  of  fact,  many  were 
seriously,  many  permanently,  injured  and  many  died 
from  their  injuries.     Nor  does  this  appalling  number  of 
persons  reported  injured  by  any  means  represent  the 
number   of  individual   accidents.     A   great  proportion 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS 


13 


of  accidents  resulting  in  a  disability  of  three  days  or 
less  might,  except  for  good  fortune,  have  resulted  in 
serious  injury  or  even  death.  It  is  the  accident  and  not 
the  injury  which  is  material.  Every 
Every  Accident  accident  is  a  forcible  reminder  that 
Serious.  something  may  be  wrong,  either  in 
physical  conditions  or  in  methods  of 
operation,  and  whether  anyone  was  injured  at  all,  or 
whether  the  injury  was  slight  or  serious,  is  of  no  conse- 
quence in  determining  cause  and  prevention. 

The  serious  feature  of  the  matter  is  that,  as  to  you 
employes,  this  injury  record  has  been  growing  constantly 
worse.  More  employes  are  being  injured  every  year. 
I  do  not  mean  more  simply  in  numbers,  but  more  in 
proportion  to  the  number  employed. 

Records  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  show, 
as  disclosed  in  the  table  below: 


Year 

Number  of  employes 
for  one 

Number  of  trainmen 
for  one 

Killed 

Injured 

Killed 

Injured 

1901 

400 

26 

136 

13 

1902 

401 

24 

135 

10 

1903 

364 

22 

123 

10 

1904 

357 

19 

120 

9 

1905 

411 

21 

133 

9 

1906 

387 

20 

124 

8 

1907 

369 

19 

125 

8 

1908 

422 

17 

150 

8 

1909 

576 

20 

205 

9 

1910 

502 

24 

172 

8 

1911 

458 

13 

194 

8 

14  PREVENTION   0* 

In  1890  (see  report  of  Interstate  Commerce  Commis- 
sion) taking  all  classes  of  employes,  one  out  of  33  was 

injured.  Year  by  year  the  rate 

Injuries  to  Employes  has  gradually  increased  till  in 
Increasing.  1911  one  out  of  13  was  injured. 

In  1890  one  out  of  12  train- 
men (enginemen,  firemen,  conductors,  and  brakemen) 
was  injured.  Year  by  year  the  ratio  has  increased  till  in 
1911,  one  out  of  8  trainmen  was  injured.  Some  one  may 
object  to  this  comparison,  and  say  that  prior  to  1901,  the 
reports  to  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  were 
not  so  complete  and  accurate  as  they  have  been  since 
that  date.  It  is  true  that  prior  to  1901,  the  number  of 
injured  was  ascertained  chiefly  by  the  Commission 
from  the  annual  reports  of  the  various  roads.  In  1901 
Congress  passed  a  law  requiring  all  railroads,  doing  an 
interstate  business,  to  make  to  the  Commission  a  monthly 
report  of  all  deaths  and  injuries  to  passengers  and 
employes  (except  where  the  disability  is  three  days  or 
less)  and  prescribing  a  penalty  for  violation.  Surely 
then  there  can  be  no  objection  against  a  com- 
parison of  the  records  for  1901  and  subsequent  years. 
What  do  these  records  reveal?  In  1901,  of  all  employes, 
one  out  of  26  was  injured.  Year  by  year  the  ratio  has 
increased,  till  in  1911  one  out  of  13  was  injured.  In 
1901,  one  out  of  13  trainmen  (including  enginemen 
and  firemen)  was  injured.  Year  by  year  the  ratio  has 
increased,  till  in  1911,  one  out  of  8  trainmen  was  injured. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS 


15 


Table  showing  the  number  of  trainmen,  yardmen,  switch  tenders, 
crossing  tenders,  and  watchmen,  trackmen,  and  bridgemen, 
and  total  employes  in  service,  and  number  employed  for  one 
killed  and  for  one  injured  during  the  year  ending  June  30,  1911. 


Number 
employed. 

1 

5 

Injured. 

Number 
employed  for 
one  killed. 

Number 
employed  for 
one  injured, 

Trainmen  

235,841 
91,694 

30,231 
470,556 
1,648,033 

1,218 
490 

106 
724 
3,602 

29,306 
11,702 

439 
19,906 
126,039 

194 
187 

285 
650 
458 

8.0 

7.8 

68.9 
23.6 
13.1 

Yardmen 

Switch  tenders,  cross- 
ing   tenders,    and 
watchmen 

Trackmen  and  bridge- 
men  

Total  employes  in  ser- 
vice. . 

A  large  number  of  railway  employes  are  not  sub- 
jected, by  virtue  of  their  duties,  to  any  greater  danger 
than  the  average  man  in  ordinary  business  and  profes- 
sional pursuits.    This  is  espe- 
High  Ratio  cially  true  in  case  of  railway 

Injured  to  Employed,  officials,  clerks,  and  stenog- 
raphers, and  to  a  great  ex- 
tent with  station  agents  and  operators.  The  number 
of  persons  in  these  branches  of  the  service  injured  in 
the  discharge  of  their  duties  is  so  small  as  to  be  hardly 
worthy  of  consideration.  Yet,  in  arriving  at  the  per- 
centage of  injured  to  the  whole  number  employed,  a« 
herein  given,  this  large  class  of  employes  is  included. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  ratio  of  employes  injureo 


16  PREVENTION    OF 

to  the  class  of  employes  liable  to  injury,  by  reason  of 
their  employment,  is  greater  than  represented  in  the 
report  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission. 

We  can  perhaps  get  a  better  impression  of  the  extent 
of  railway  casualties  by  comparison.     During  our  great 

civil  war,  when  we  exercised  all 

Railway  Casualties     our  ingenuity  to  slay  each  other 
Compared.  in  the  most  approved  wholesale 

fashion,  we  succeeded  in  killing 

on  both  sides  an  average  of  only  about  44,000  per  year. 
In  the  peaceful  pursuit  of  railroading,  during  the  five 
years  ending  June,  1911  the  railroads  of  the  United 
States  averaged  over  10,000  per  year  killed,  or  almost  one- 
fourth  the  number  killed  in  that  great  and  bloody  war. 
Considering  the  fact  that  we  have  been  trained  in  war 
for  four  thousand  years  and  in  railroading  for  less  than 
eighty  years,  railroads  have  no  cause  to  complain 
that  they  have  not  had  their  fair  share  of  this,  as  well 
as  the  more  enviable  classes  of  business.  If  we  keep  on 
in  the  way  we  have  been  going,  in  a  few  years  we  may 
expect  the  Krupp  Gun  Works  to  be  turning  out  rail- 
way equipment  exclusively,  and  the  jobs  of  you  rail- 
road men  may  be  filled  by  soldiers  of  the  United  States 
Army  working  for  $16  per  month  to  get  practical  mili- 
tary training. 

The  following  charts*  show  the  relative  rate  of  mor- 
tality among  railway  employes. 


*  Reproduced  by  courtesy  of  Dr.  Frederic  L.  Hoffman,  statistician  of  the 
Prudential  Insurance  Company,  Newark,  N.  J. 


EAILROAD  ACCIDENTS 


17 


18 


PREVENTION   OF 




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RAILROAD  ACCIDENTS  19 

From  1897  to  1906,  inclusive,  the  Prudential 
Insurance  Company  had  908  deaths  among  railroad 
brakemen  of  the  United  States,  of  which  68.7  per  cent, 
or  more  than  two  out  of  three,  was  due  to  railroad 
accidents;  207  deaths  among  railroad  firemen,  of  which 
53.6  per  cent,  or  more  than  one  out  of  two,  was  due  to 
railroad  accidents;  142  deaths  of  railroad  enginemen, 
and  204  deaths  of  railroad  conductors,  of  which  29,6 
per  cent  and  29.2  per  cent  respectively  were  caused  by 
railroad  accidents. 

These  figures  show  conditions  on  all  the  roads  of  the 
United  States.  Perhaps  no  one  road  is  much  better  or 
worse  than  another.  But  in  order  to  get  a  more  accurate 

conception  of  local  conditions, 

Personal  Injury        let's   refer   particularly   to   the 

Record  in  New  York    railroads  of  the  State  of  New 

State.  York.     During  the  year  ending 

June  30th,  1910  (the  date  of  the 

last  annual  report)  the  steam  railroads  of  New  York  killed 
986  persons,  of  whom  286  were  employes.  This  number 
does  not  in  fact  represent  all  who  were  killed,  but  only 
those  who  were  either  killed  instantly  or  died  from  their 
injuries  within  twenty-four  hours  of  the  time  the  injury 
was  received.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  many  died  from 
their  injuries  after  a  lapse  of  twenty-four  hours.  These 
were  reported  as  injured. 

During  the  year  ending  September  30th,  1910,  327 
employes  were  killed  in  all  the  factories  of  all  industries, 
in  all  quarries,  and  in  all  tunnel  construction  in  the  entire 
State  of  New  York.*  This  record  is  bad  enough,  but 

*  Report  of  Commissioner  of  Labor. 


20  PREVENTION   OP 

the  railroads,  employing  in  the  Empire  State  about 
80,000  persons  (exclusive  of  officers  and  clerks)  actually 
killed  as  many  employes  (lacking  only  41)  as  were  killed 
during  the  same  time  and  in  the  same  territory  in  all 
factories,  quarries  and  tunnels,  employing  over  1,000,000 
persons.  In  other  words,  with  121/^  per  cent  of  the  number 
of  persons  employed,  the  railroads  of  New  York  killed, 
among  their  employes,  87  per  cent  of  the  number  of 
persons  killed  in  all  the  commercial  industries  of  the 
State. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  work  of  railway  employes 
is  very  different  from  that  of  employes  in  commercial 
industries.     This  is  true  so  far  as 
Railway  Service     trainmen    and    trackmen    are    con- 
Not  Naturally      cerned,  but  a  considerable  percent- 
Hazardous,         age    of    railway    employes    are    en- 
gaged in  shops,  repair  yards,  engine 
houses,  and  freight  depots,  where  their  duties  are  very 
similar  to  those  of  industrial  employes,  and  should  riot 
naturally  be  attended  with  any  higher  rate  of  injury. 
Yet,  in  tunnel  construction — inherently  more  hazardous 
that  any  branch  of  railway  service — the  ratio  of  in- 
jured to  employed  in  New  York  State  for  1910  is  slightly 
below  one  for  every  ten,  while  for  trainmen  (including 
passenger  service  where  the  hazard  is  not  great)   the 
rate  is  one  for  every  eight. 

There  is  no  reason  in  the  nature  of  the  employment 
why  there  should  be  this  unfavorable  comparison  on 
the  part  of  the  railroads.  Railroad  service  is  not 
naturally  hazardous.  Our  personal  injury  and  deatli 
rate  has  been  high  because  we  have  not  given  sufficient 


RAILROAD  ACCIDENTS  21 

consideration,  in  a  systematic  and  persistent  way,  to 
matters  pertaining  to  safety. 

These  plain  figures  are  given  in  order  that  you  may 
understand  conditions  as  they  actually  exist. 

It  is  a  bad  record,  gentlemen.  It  is  a  record  of  misery, 
sorrow,  and  suffering.  It  is  a  record  of  fathers  and 
mothers  and  wives  from  whom  the  star  of  hope  that 
shone  so  brightly  in  their  sky  has  been 
The  Record,  eternally  blotted  from  view  by  the 
smoke  that  arose  from  the  funeral  pyre. 
It  is  a  record  of  children's  tears  and  broken  hearts. 
It  is  a  record  of  disappointment  and  distress,  pain  and 
poverty.  It  is  a  record  written  in  the  ink  of  human 
blood.  And  that  record,  gentlemen,  is  in  our 
handwriting.  We  can't  deny  it;  we  can't  evade  it. 
And  the  pity,  the  shame,  is,  that  every  year,  for 
twenty  years,  we  have  been  writing  a  longer  and  a 
bloodier  record. 

Now,     don't    you    think,    in    view    of    this    record, 

it  is  high  time  you  employes — you  men  who  work  in 

the  shops,  you  who  maintain  the 

Personal  Interest     track    and    equipment,    you    who 

of  move  the  trains,  you  who  are  by 

Employes.  far    the    greatest    sufferers    from 

these  conditions — don't  you  think 

it  is  high  time  you  men  were  waking  up  and  taking  a 

live,    active,    personal,    and   persistent   interest   in   the 

prevention  of  accidents?     Don't  you  think  it  is  time 

for   every   one   of   you   to   bring    this   subject   directly 

and  personally  home,  and    consider   it   in    its  relation 


22  PREVENTION   OP 

to  your  own  safety  and  the  welfare  of  those  dependent 
upon  you?  Don't  you  think  so?  Just  remember,  one  out 
of  thirteen  of  all  of  you  and  one  out  of  eight  of  you 
trainmen  are  injured  in  one  year. 

The    first   step    toward    reformation    is   information. 
So  let's  ask  ourselves  the  question,    What  are  the  causes 
producing   this   long   record  of   accidents? 
Causes  of     (Of  course,  you  will  bear  in  mind,  reference 
Accidents     is   made   only   to   preventable    accidents.) 
Broadly  speaking,  every  preventable  rail- 
road accident  is  due  to  one  of  three  causes,   or  a  com- 
bination of  three  causes: 

(1)  Defective     or    improper    condition    of    way,    structures, 
equipment,  machinery,  tools  or  appliances. 

(2)  Improper  methods  of  work  or  operation. 

(3)  Failure  of  one  or  more  men  to  use  necessary  care  and 
diligence. 

In  other  words,  every  preventable  accident  is  due 
to  some  failure  or  insufficiency  of  Material,  Method  or 
Man. 

You  employes  are  not  responsible  for  the  first 
of  the  two  causes  enumerated.  But  you  are  respon- 
sible for  the  third.  In  other  words,  Material  and 
Method  are  subjects  for  official  consideration;  but  Man 
— the  human  element — is  almost  wholly  within  your 
control. 

You  see,  then,  that  this  vital  problem — the  preven- 
tion of  accidents — depends,  for  its  complete  and  final 
solution,  upon  both  officials  and  employes.  It  cannot 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  23 

be  solved  by  one  without  the  other,  and  the  first  step 

in    the    solution    is    absolute    sincerity. 

Cooperation     Let  the  official  not  forget  that  he  was  an 

Necessary.      employe    yesterday,    and    the    employe 

reflect  that  he  may  be  charged  with  the 

official's  duties  to-morrow,  and  let  each  accept  his  full 

share  of  responsibility  to-day. 

You  have  now  seen  the  conditions  which  exist  and  the 

causes  therefor. 
Remedies.         What    are    the    remedies?      That's  the 

vital  question  for  you  employes.  For- 
tunately, the  remedies  are  not  difficult  to  discover. 
In  fact,  the  mere  statement  of  the  causes  implies  the 
remedies,  which,  like  the  causes,  are  threefold: 

(1)  Improve  and  make   safe  defective  or  improper   condition 
of  way,  structures,  equipment,  machinery,  tools,  or  appliances. 

(2)  Correct  improper  methods  of  work  or  operation. 

(3)  Educate  and  train  employes  in  all  branches  of  the  ser- 
vice to  use  necessary  care  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties. 

These  three  remedies,  pursued  intelligently  and 
persistently,  cannot  fail  to  result  in  a  material  de- 
crease in  preventable  accidents,  because  railroad  opera- 
tion is  not  in  itself  naturally  dangerous.  It  can  be 
and  should  be  made  one  of  the  safest  employments. 
The  trouble  with  our  efforts  in  the  past  to  reduce  acci- 
dents has  been,  not  that  we  have  given  too  much  atten- 
tion to  Material  and  Method,  which  are  important, 

Your    efforts    to    correct    unsafe    conditions    and 

prevent   carelessness    will    make    it   safer   for 

you  and  your  fellow  workmen. 


24  PREVENTION    OF 

but  too  little  attention  to  Man — the  human  element — 
which  is  more  important. 

Let  me  explain  by  recalling  a  few  facts  well  known 
to   you.     For   a  great   many   years     railroad   officials, 
applying  the  first  of  the  three  remedies  above  men- 
tioned, have  been  installing  safety  devices  and  appli- 
ances   on    their    tracks,    trains, 

Safety  Appliances,     structures,   and   equipment,   and 
they    are    continuing    to    install 

them  in  greater  numbers  every  year.  Many  of  these 
appliances  have  been  prescribed  by  law.  Many  more 
have  been  introduced  voluntarily.  As  a  result  of  this 
legal  direction  and  voluntary  effort,  we  now  have, 
and  have  had  for  several  years,  a  highly  perfected 
machine  of  transportation.  Inventive  genius  has  found 
a  most  varied  and  extensive  field  of  expression  in  rail- 
road mechanics.  The  forces  of  nature,  with  nature's 
certainty  and  precision,  do  the  work  of  hundreds  of 
men,  and  do  it  a  hundred  times  better  than  men.  Cars 
are  coupled  by  impact.  Air  is  collected  and  compressed 
without  thought  or  human  effort,  and  the  engineman 
applies  the  air  on  ninety-five  cars  and  holds  in  check 
thousands  of  tons  of  freight  by  the  expenditure  of  no 
more  effort  than  required  to  grasp  the  hand  of  a  friend. 
Bells  on  engines  and  at  highway  crossings  are  sounded 
automatically.  While  from  one  end  of  the  line  to  the 
other,  extends  a  system  of  electric  signals  which,  if 
they  do  not  have  human  intelligence,  have  far  more 
than  human  reliability.  They  work  year  in  and  year 
out,  day  and  night,  during  sunshine  and  storm,  without 
going  on  a  strike,  taking  a  vacation  or  a  layoff. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  25 

Yet  with  all  this  mechanical  perfection,  more  of  you 
employes,  in  proportion  to  the  number  employed, 
are  being  injured  every  year.  Don't  forget  the  record 
I  called  your  attention  to. 

On  this  subject,  the  Block  Signal  and  Train  Control 
Board  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission,  in  its 
annual  report  for  1910,  says: 

"Nowhere  in  the  world  have  appliances  for  safeguarding 
railway  transportation  been  so  highly  developed  as  in  this 
country,  notwithstanding  which  nowhere  in  the  world  is 
there  a  greater  proportionate  number  of  accidents  of  the 
kind  which  such  advance  in  the  art  should  prevent.  What 
is  most  needed  is  automatic  performance  of  one's  duties 
rather  than  automatic  mechanical  devices  " 

In  Germany,   where  there  are  various  museums  of 

safety,    supported    by    the    Government,    designed    to 

foster  the  invention  and  introduction  of 

Result   in     safety  appliances,  and  where  as  a  result 

Germany,     of    such    stimulant    and    encouragement, 

these    appliances    are    more    ingeniously 

contrived    and    more    generally    and    extensively    used 

than  in  this  country,  it  is  still  found,   from  reliable 

statistics,  that  forty-eight  per  cent  of   their  accidents 

are  preventable. 

We  have  had  the  principal  safety  appliances  on  Ameri- 
can railroads  for  years,  and  if  it  were  chiefly  a  question  of 
safety  appliances,  it  would  naturally  and  inevitably 
follow  that  with  the  introduction  of  these  appliances, 
the  accident  record  would  show  a  decrease  in  the  ratio 
of  injured  to  employed.  But  the  record  shows  just 
the  reverse. 


26  PREVENTION    OF 

Of  course,  no  one  will  say  that  safety  appliances  do 
not  prevent  injuries.  •  They  do  prevent  a  great  manj^ 
injuries.  Their  use  should  be,  and  doubt- 
Safe  Men.  less  will  be  encouraged  and  extended,  but 
in  themselves  they  do  not  go  far  enough. 
What  we  need  is  safe  men  to  operate  the  appliances. 
Automatic  couplers  have  superseded  links  and  pins, 
and  thereby  saved  many  fingers  and  hands;  yet  I  know 
of  no  device  more  readily  adapted  to  make  sausage 
of  a  trainman's  foot  than  the  automatic  coupler,  if 
he  gets  his  foot  caught  while  kicking  a  drawbar,  as 
cars  approach,  to  make  a  coupling.  That  is  done  by 
some  of  you  men,  and  injuries  reported  from  this  source 
are  not  infrequent.  An  experienced  conductor  made 
himself  a  permanent  cripple  a  few  weeks  ago  doing 
this  very  thing. 

Over  99  per  cent  of  the  engines  and  cars  in  service 
are  equipped  with  automatic  couplers,  yet  the  report 
of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commission  for  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1911,  shows  that  209  employes  were 
killed  and  2,966  were  injured  in  coupling  and  uncoupling 
cars.  Eliminating  from  this  report,  cases  due  to  causes 
purely  accidental,  defective  equipment,  and  to  those  con- 
ditions for  which  employes  are  not  personally  responsi- 
ble, we  find  that  86  of  these  deaths  and  1,266  of  these 
injuries  were  unquestionably  due  to  the  manner  in 
which  employes  operated  this  automatic  equipment, 
as  the  following  table,  taken  from  this  report,  shows: 

Safety  Appliances  are  all  right,  but  what  we  need 
is  Safe  Men  to  operate  them. 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS 


27 


Some  of  the  causes  of  accidents  to  employes  in  coupling 
and  uncoupling  cars,  year  ending  June  30,  1911. 


CAUSES 

Trainmen 

Trainmen 
in  Yards 

y« 

Trai 
swi 
eft 

1 
£ 

ird 
nmen 
ching 
ws) 

1 

°c 

h-  1 

Other 
Em- 
ploye* 

Total 

I 
1 

o 

M 

•a 

o 

3 

1 
p 

3 

1 

i 

Injured 

JH 

3 

1 

c? 

M 

Adjusting    coupler    with 
foot          

68 
20 
11 
29 

92 
19 
21 

11 

3 
2 

44 
6 
5 
15 

42 
14 
17 

13 
46 

27 
229 

1 

15 
6 
9 

2 
r\ 

L 

r 

138 
23 
17 
40 

117 
35 

48 

21 
86 
93 

i 

3 

1 
1 

7 
2 
5 
2 

8 
2 
1 

3 

E 
») 

r 
» 

3 
3 

22 
10 
19 

3 
a 

*, 

17 

257 
51 
38 
86 

259 
70 

87 

48 
211 
159 

Careless  manipulation  of 
uncoupling  lever  
Coupling   or    uncoupling 
safety  chains     

1 

4 
4 

8 

Uncoupling   without   us- 
ing lever  (unnecessary) 
Opening  or  closing  knuck- 
le when  cars  were  near 
together,  miscalculated 
speed              

Opening     knuckle,     lost 
footing 

Riding  on  car  to  uncou- 
ple  slipped  off      

Caught    by    unexpected 
movement  of  car,  due 
to   mistake   or   misun- 
derstanding   in   giving 
hand  signals 

Caught    by    unexpected 
movement  of  car,  due 
to  slack  running  in.  . 
Went   between   cars   un- 
necessarily    and     con- 
trary to  rule 

3 
9 

74 
34 

3 
3 

Total.. 

2937911 

40 

618 

6 

4C 

86  1266 

28  PREVENTION    OF 

You  have  grab  irons  on  the  front  and  rear  of  switch 
engines,  but  what  good  do  they  do  the  man  who  stands 
between  the  rails  and  attempts  to  get  upon  the '  foot- 
board of  an  engine  as  it  comes  toward  him,  if  he  happens 
to  slip  and  fall?  Only  a  few  days  ago,  a  brakeman 
in  Buffalo  was  ground  to  pieces  in  this  way.  You 
know  brakemen  and  conductors  are  doing  this  every 
day  in  every  yard  on  the  line.  I  have  in  mind  now 
an  experienced  brakeman  who  was  injured  in  this 
way  less  than  a  year  ago.  In  the  course  of  the 
investigation,  I  called  his  attention  both  to  the 
absolute  uselessness  of  such  an  act  and  to  the  great 
danger  attending  it.  He  admitted  that  he  could  just 
as  well  have  stood  outside  the  rails  and  gotten  upon 
the  end  of  the  footboard,  or  that  in  many  instances 
he  could  as  well  get  upon  the  footboard  at  the  other 
end  of  the  engine.  Yet  within  three  months  he  was 
injured  again,  in  the  same  way,  this  time  more  seriously. 
Now,  no  safety  appliance  will  help  that  kind  of  man. 
The  only  thing  to  do  is  to  get  him  out  of  the  service 
before  he  kills  himself  or  somebody  else. 

The  point  is  just  this:  No  safety  appliance  is  safe 
in  the  hands  of  an  unsafe  man. 

For  twenty  years  or  more,  public  sentiment  has  been 

keenly    awakened    to    the    importance    of    preventing 

railway    accidents.      This    sentiment    has 

Safety  By     crystallized  into  carloads  of  Federal,  State, 

Statute.      and    municipal   statutes,    ordinances,    and 

A  factory  inspector  chained  to  every  machine  in  the 
shop  wouldn't  keep  some  men  from  getting  hurt. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  29 

regulations,  until  to-day  a  serious  problem  in  railroad 
operation  is  to  find  a  means  of  conducting  traffic,  with 
any  profit,  through  the  tortuous  labyrinth  of  legislative 
enactment  and  judicial  construction  where,  at  every 
turn  of  the  narrow  way,  is  reverberating  from  forty- 
nine  sources,  "Thou  shalt"  and  "Thou  shalt  not." 

The  basic  thought  producing  this  legislation  seems  to 
have  been  that  railroading  is  a  material  thing,  natur- 
ally and  inherently  dangerous,  like  guncotton  or  dyna- 
mite, and  that  all  that  is  necessary  to  curb  its  natural 
destructive  tendency  is  to  prescribe  and  regulate  the 
physical  conditions  of  its  maintenance  and  operation. 
Our  legislators  (whose  honest  purpose  in  the  main 
I  do  not  question)  have  apparently  proceeded  entirely 
upon  the  theory  that  the  corporation  is  the  only  agent 
to  be  considered  and  dealt  with. 

We  have  scores  of  laws  regulating  the  hours  and  con- 
ditions of  employment  and  prescribing  certain  experience 
which  men  must  have  to  hold  certain  positions.  Many 
of  these  laws  are  highly  meritorious.  Yet  the  personal 
injury  record,  as  to  employes,  has  been  constantly 
growing  worse. 

The  reason  for  this  is  that  we  have  not  given  due 
consideration  to  the  human  element.  We  can  pass 
laws  and  make  rules,  but  the  employe  must  be  educated 
and  trained  to  obey  and  comply  with  them. 

Necessary  and  beneficial  as  some  of  our  railroad 
laws  are,  Congress  and  State  legislatures  may  enact 

laws  until  their  combined 

Safety  Laws  tonnage  would  block  traffic; 

Not  Entirely  Effective,  officials  may  go  on  issuing 


30  PREVENTION   OP 

rules,  bulletins,  and  notices  until  every  caboose  looks 
like  a  circulating  library ;  and  you  may  keep  a 
factory  inspector  in  every  shop,  and  we  will  go  on 
with  this  string  of  preventable  accidents,  until  you 
men,  as  you  stand  before  the  machine  in  the  shops, 
as  you  repair  equipment  in  the  yards,  as  you  work 
upon  the  track,  as  you  run  your  engines  and  handle 
the  cars,  begin  to  think  earnestly  how  you  can  make 
this  move  and  do  this  work  in  the  safe  and  proper 
way.  Until  you  become  convinced,  and  with  a  firm 
determination  act  upon  the  conviction,  that  you  can 
and  you  will  do  your  work  without  these  accidents. 

Gentlemen — I   say  it  in  all  good  will — the  greater 
part  of  this  personal  injury  record  is 
Responsibility,     in  your  handwriting. 

You  have  made,  and  are  making, 
this  record  in  many  ways  every  day. 

You  make  this  record  when  you  neglect  the  little 
things  in  connection  with  the  discharge  of  your 
duties. 

A  very  small  part  indeed  of  this  injury  record  is 
made  up  of  collisions,  derailments,  and  the  great  acci- 
dents which  furnish  large  headlines  for  the  newspapers. 

Every  accident  is  a  NOTICE  that  something  may 

be  wrong  with   Methods,   Material,   or  Man, 

and  should  be  investigated  at  once  by  the 

man  in  charge  to  ascertain  cause  and 

apply  remedy.     Whether  the  in= 

jury     received     is     slight     or 

serious    is    not    material. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  31 

But  the  neglect  of  little  things — just  little  things— 

not  thought  worthy  of  careful  attention,  is  what  pro- 
duces the  bulk  of  preventable  accidents. 

A  Few  Trackmen  take  up  old  planks  and  leave 

Examples,  them  beside  the  tracks  with  the  spikes 
turned  upward.  A  trainman  runs  one  of 
these  rusty  spikes  through  his  foot,  and  is  laid  up  for 
weeks  or  blood  poison  results,  and  perhaps  he  dies. 
Only  a  few  days  ago,  I  found  about  a  dozen  planks  with 
rusty  spikes  four  inches  long  projecting  upward,  within 
three  feet  of  the  track,  at  the  end  of  the  platform  of  a 
small  station,  where  passengers  had  to  pass  day  and 
night.  And  they  had  been  right  there  for  a  week. 
The  section  men  put  them  there,  the  station  agent  and 
his  helper  had  been  walking  around  them  and  over 
them  every  day  and  night,  and  the  supervisor  of  track 
had,  or  should  have,  seen  them.  If  they  had  not  been 
removed,  some  one,  sooner  or  later,  would  have  been 
injured.  Fifteen  of  you  employes  were  injured  in  this 
way  last  month. 

A  frog,  switch,  or  guard  rail  is  left  unblocked  till 
some  one  gets  his  foot  caught  and  is  run  over.  The 
pieces  are  picked  up  and  sent  to  the  hospital  or  under- 
taker, the  section  foreman  supplies  the  necessary  block- 
ing, and  the  supervisor  of  track  works  his  clerk  over- 
time for  the  next  week  writing  letters  to  explain  why 
that  particular  piece  of  blocking  was  not  put  in  before 
the  accident.  Long  explanations  are  necessary  because 
the  orders  are  to  keep  this  blocking  supplied  (and  it  is 
supplied  generally),  but  some  one  has  thought  it  a 
little  matter  and  failed  to  comply  with  positive  instruc- 


32  PREVENTION    OF 

tions.  You  can't  place  a  supervisor  of  track  at  every 
switch. 

In  the  meantime,  perhaps  the  foreman  on  the  next 
section  passes  over  an  unblocked  frog,  switch,  or  guard 
rail  on  his  section  every  day,  and  says  and  does  nothing. 

Car  repairers  either  place  or  leave  drawbars,  brake 
shoes,  air  hose,  knuckles,  or  springs  lying  through- 
out the  yard  in  order  to  have  them  handy  for  making 
repairs,  instead  of  keeping  them  collected  in  various 
handy  places  through  the  yard,  and  trackmen  allow 
them  to  remain  where  they  are  left.  Trainmen  are 
continually  stumbling  and  falling  over  them.  They 
are  either  hurt  in  falling,  in  which  case  the  injury  is 
usually  slight,  or  they  are  run  over,  and  the  result  is 
serious  injury  or  death. 

A  station  platform  is  allowed  to  remain  poorly  lighted. 
The  agent  knows  that,  but  he  leaves  pieces  of  freight, 
express,  cleats,  gang  planks,  a  hand  truck,  or  the  tongue 
of  a  baggage  truck  lying  about  where  passengers  are 
compelled  to  walk.  Some  one  stumbles,  falls,  is  injured, 
and  trouble  begins  for  everybody.  The  agent  is  the 
first  fellow  in  trouble.  He  says  he  hasn't  help  enough 
and  is  overworked.  Yet,  as  a  rule,  after  the  accident, 
when  he  has  put  on  a  pair  of  heavy  gloves  as  a  precau- 
tion in  opening  a  personal  letter  from  the  superinten- 
dent, and  read  the  gentle  comments  of  that  official, 
that  platform  is  kept  as  free  from  obstructions  as  a 
billiard  table. 

It's  easier  to  do  a  thing  right  than   to  explain 
why  you  did  it  wrong. 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS  33 

An  overhead  trolley  supporting  an  air  hoist  weigh- 
ing several  hundred  pounds  is  allowed  to  remain  without 
a  block  or  other  appliance  at  the  end  of  the  trolley  to 
prevent  the  hoist  from  running  off  and  falling.  Instruc- 
tions required  such  a  block.  Yet  the  men  who  put  the 
trolley  up  knew  they  left  it  without  a  stop  block,  the 
men  who  had  been  operating  it  for  months  should  have 
known  it  had  no  block.  One  day  it  ran  off,  fell,  and 
killed  a  man  working  beneath  it. 

Just  a  little  block.  In  a  few  minutes  it  could  have 
been  supplied,  but  neglect  to  supply  it  cost  a  life. 

Can  there  be  any  excuse  for  a  thing  like  that?    When 

plain  instructions  are  issued  to  intelligent  men,  should 

it    be    necessary    to    stand    beside    them 

No  Excuse,     with  a  club  to  see  that  the  instructions 

are  complied  with? 

The  men  who  put  up  that  trolley  and  left  it  without 
the  block,  and  the  man,  or  men,  operating  it,  knowing 
there  was  no  block,  built  and  sprung  the  trap  which 
plunged  an  innocent  man  into  eternity.  Those  men 
were  not  vicious,  but  simply  indifferent  and  inc^n- 
siderate. 

An  engineman  was  due  to  take  his  yard  engine  from 
the  house  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning.  He  was  five 
minutes  late.  The  fireman,  who  had  never  qualified 
as  an  engineman,  without  any  authority  from  anyone, 
starts  out  running  the  engine.  It  was  dark,  but  would 
soon  be  daylight,  and  it  was  too  much  trouble  for  this 
fireman  to  light  the  headlight.  A  collision  results, 
thousands  of  dollars  worth  of  property  is  destroyed, 
and  one  life  lost.  All  to  save  two  minutes  time  and  a 


34  PREVENTION    OF 

little  trouble  to  light  a  headlight.  No  rule  or  regula- 
tion would  or  could  have  prevented  a  thing  of  that  kind. 
The  trouble  was  in  the  man. 

One  summer  morning  a  pile  of  railroad  ties  was  placed 
on  the  right  of  way  opposite  and  within  a  few  feet  of 
valuable  buildings.  It  was  the  intention  to  put  those 
ties  into  service  the  following  day,  and  for  that  reason 
the  grass  was  not  dug  up  around  the  ties  so  as  to  form  a 
fire  guard.  In  the  afternoon,  fire  from  a  passing  engine 
started  in  the  grass  on  the  right  of  way,  spread  to  the 
ties  before  it  was  discovered,  and  by  that  time,  fed  by 
the  dry  ties,  the  fire  was  beyond  control  and  soon  spread 
to  the  buildings.  It  would  have  cost  about  five  cents 
to  take  this  precaution.  It  cost  over  five  thousand 
dollars  not  to  take  it. 

Now,  this  should  be  a  lesson,  and  it  cost  enough  to 
be  a  valuable  one.  It  should  teach  you  track  foremen  to 
pile  ties  and  other  material  a  safe  distance  away  from 
valuable  buildings,  or  if — as  is  not  very  often  the  case — 
it  is  necessary  to  place  them  opposite  buildings,  orchards, 
or  other  valuable  property,  to  see  that  there  is  a  fire 
guard  around  the  material,  which  can  be  made  at 
practically  no  expense. 

A  few  months  ago,  a  crew  in  taking  coal  at  a  certain 
terminal  damaged  the  coal  chute.  A  few  minutes  later, 
Edward  Preston  was  coaling  his  engine  at  the  same 
chute,  and  in  trying  to  shove  the  chute  back  into  posi- 
tion, owing  to  its  defective  condition,  he  lost  his  balance, 

A  minute  of  judgment  is  sometimes  worth  a  day 
of  energy. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  35 

fell  from  his  engine,  and  was  killed.  On  investigation 
the  man  who  damaged  the  chute  admitted  that  he 
knew  he  damaged  it,  but  said  he  made  no  report  of  the 
matter  as  he  could  and  should  have  done,  to  the  coal 
heaver  or  the  engine-house  foreman.  He  said  he  sup- 
posed they  knew  he  damaged  the  chute.  He  might 
as  well  have  supposed  that  the  president  of  the  road 
knew  it.  And  because  he  supposed  when  he  should 
have  known,  Edward  Preston  is  moldering  in  his 
grave.  If  he  had  simply  walked  a  few  yards  and  noti- 
fied the  engine-house  foreman  that  he  had  damaged 
this  chute  and  that  it  was  not  in  condition  for  use, 
Edward  Preston,  in  all  probability,  would  be  alive 
to-day,  his  wife  would  not  be  a  widow,  and  his  children 
would  not  be  fatherless. 

Just  little  things.  Just  little  things.  I  might 
go  on  and  on  giving  examples,  but  what  is  the  use? 
You  know  as  well  as  I  do,  and  better,  that  every  day 
you  are  neglecting  just  such  things.  Either  you  don't 
think  at  all,  or  if  you  do  think,  you  say,  "Oh,  well, 
what's  the  use?"  Isn't  that  true?  Let's  be  plain  and 
honest  in  this  discussion. 

Why  don't  you  stop  it?  Don't  you  see  that  there 
is  not  enough  to  be  gained  to  justify  the  risk?  Don't 
say  you  are  overworked  and  haven't  time.  Some  of 
you  are  protected  against  overwork  by  law.  Besides, 
everybody  knows  that  the  careful,  considerate  man 
has  more  time  than  anybody  else,  because  he  is  syste- 
matic and  makes  the  most  of  his  time. 

The  great  danger  in  the  neglect  of  these  little  things 
exists,  because  no  general  manager,  no  superintendent, 


36  PREVENTION   OF 

or  trainmaster  can  foresee  and  guard  against  them. 
In  New  York  city  there  is  a  museum  of  natural  history 
where  are  collected  and  propagated,  for  scientific  study, 
the  various  disease  germs  of  tetanus,  tuberculosis, 
anthrax,  typhoid,  small-pox,  and  cancer.  From  this 
museum,  a  half  dozen  glass  tubes,  so  small  you  could 
place  them  in  your  vest  pocket,  the  contents  of  which 
you  could  see  only  with  a  powerful  microscope,  contain 
more  death-dealing  force,  if  communicated  to  that 
city's  inhabitants,  and  would  be  infinitely  more  to  be 
feared,  than  the  shot  and  shells  from  the  combined 
navies  of  the  world  assembled  in  New  York  harbor. 

Again,  gentlemen,  you  are  writing  this  awful 
record  every  day  when  you  take  chances. 

By  taking  chances,  I  mean  doing  a  thing  in  a  way 

which  you  know  to  be  unsafe  when  you  coukl  do  it  in 

another  way  known  to  be  safe.     Perhaps 

Taking       the   safe   way   is   positively   prescribed   by 

Chances,     rule,    or   if  there   is   no   rule   covering  the 

matter,  the  safe  and  unsafe  ways  may  be 

perfectly  apparent  to  a  man  of  any  judgment. 

A  great  undertaking  of  the  railroad  undertaker  is 
to  clean  up  after  the  railroad  chancetaker. 

The  following  are  a  few  examples  of  what  it  costs  to 
take  chances.  You  can  doubtless  think  of  many  more. 

The  engineman  of  one  of  the  finest  and  fastest  trains 
on  the  road,  having  right  of  way  over  all  other  trains, 
has  found  a  certain  signal  sot  properly  for  him  hundreds 
of  times.  He  knows  well  enough  that  it  is  liable  to  beset 
against  him  at  any  time,  but  he  gets  to  thinking  that  it  will 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  37 

always  be  set  for  him,  and  gets  to  taking  chances  in  not 
properly  observing  this  signal.  One  night  the  signal  is 
against  him.  A  wreck.  Death,  injuries,  destruction  of  pro- 
perty. He  took  a  chance.  Won  several  times,  but  lost  once. 

The  crew  of  an  inferior  train  want  "to  get  the  train 
over  the  road."  They  are  in  a  hurry  to  get  home. 
To  save  a  fifteen  minutes  wait  on  a  siding,  they  start 
out,  without  an  order,  to  make  the  next  station  "right 
in  the  teeth  "  of  a  superior  train.  If  that  train  is  a  minute 
or  two  late,  they  win.  The  dispatcher  knows  just  what 
they  did,  and  if  he  is  the  right  kind  of  a  man,  he  sees 
that  there  is  plenty  of  trouble  for  that  crew  as  soon  as 
they  get  in.  If  he  is  not  the  right  kind  of  a  man,  he  says 
nothing.  The  next  day  they  take  another  chance  and  lose. 
You  know  very  well  I  am  not  drawing  on  my  imagination. 

I  don't  mean  to  say,  gentlemen,  that  all  of  you  are 
doing  these  things.  I  know  the  majority  of  you  are 
not,  but  many  of  you  are,  and  you  are  the  ones  who 
are  making  this  accident  record. 

A  water  glass  breaks.  The  engineman  tells  his  fireman 
to  run  the  engine  while  he  replaces  the  glass.  The 
view  is  obstructed  on  the  engineman's  side,  and  the  fire- 
man shoves  the  rear  car  over  a  bumping  post  and  injures 
several  men. 

A  passenger  train  is  to  take  water  at  a  station  while 
passengers  are  being  handled.  After  the  train  comes 
to  a  full  stop  and  passengers  begin  to  alight,  the  engine- 
man,  in  order  to  spot  the  engine,  suddenly  moves  the 

You  are  responsible  for  the  safety  of  others  as 
well    as    yourself. 


38  PREVENTION   OF 

train.  He  knows  very  well  the  danger  of  doing  so  with- 
out first  sounding  a  signal,  so  the  crew  can  protect 
passengers,  but  to  do  so  would  require  a  few  seconds  of 
precious  time  and  he  takes  a  chance,  the  passenger 
takes  the  injury  and  the  company  takes  the  blame. 

Not  only  are  railroad  men  ready  to  take  chances 
when  other  persons  may  pay  the  price,  but  they  are 
equally  ready  when  their  own  lives  are  in  the  .balance. 
An  engineman  told  me  that  his  train  came  very  nearly 
striking  a  section  foreman.  He  said  the  foreman  saw 
the  train  at  a  safe  distance,  but  deliberately  stood  so 
near  the  track  that  the  engine  brushed  his  clothing. 
The  engineman,  a  few  days  afterward,  asked  the  fore- 
man what  he  meant  by  standing  in  that  position.  You 
couldn't  guess  the  foreman's  answer  in  a  year.  He 
said  he  wanted  to  get  a  fresh  breeze  from  the  motion 
of  the  train.  Think  of  a  man  of  intelligence  .risking 
his  life  to  get  a  fresh  breeze  mixed  with  sand  and  cinders. 

Esau  sold  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage,  and 
for  hundreds  of  years  has  furnished  the  world  with  a 
most  impressive  example  of  a  bad  bargain;  but  you 
railroad  men  have  no  right  to  cast  any  slurs  upon  the 
memory  of  the  late  Mr.  Esau.  You  are  making  just 
as  bad,  just  as  foolish  bargains  every  day  when  you 
stake  your  lives  on  these  unnecessary  chances. 

When   a   railroad    man   takes   chances,    the   lives 

and  limbs  of  human  beings  are  the  stakes.    ; 

Every  man  who  gambles  loses  sometimes 

— generally  many  times — but  you 

can't   afford    to   lose   once. 


RAILKOAD  ACCIDENTS  39 

In  every  shop  there  are  positive  instructions  to  stop 
certain  machines  before  attempting  to  oil  or  adjust 
them.  Yet  some  man — perhaps  a  piece  worker  who 
wants  to  save  every  second — is  continually  taking 
chances  and  often  getting  chopped  to  pieces.  There 
are  many  men  in  shops  who  will  deliberately  remove 
safety  guards  from  the  machines  they  are  operating. 

Men  employed  in  shops,  yards,  and  depots  are  regu- 
larly getting  injured  or  killed  jumping  on  or  off  moving 
cars  or  engines  to  ride  to  and  from  .their  work.  Now, 
your  duties  do  not  require  you  to  take  these  chances. 
Can  you  afford  to  take  them?  It's  a  risky  thing  even 
for  trainmen  who  are  accustomed  to  it,  to  jump  on 
or  off  moving  cars  or  engines.  No  insurance  company 
will  take  a  risk  without  getting  pay  for  it.  Yet  you 
put  your  life  in  the  balance  and  take  these  risks  for 
nothing.  To  consider  it  merely  as  a  business  proposi- 
tion, don't  you  think  it  is  poor  judgment? 

One  evening  a  few  months  ago,  a  car  ferry  operat- 
ing across  Lake  Michigan  left  its  eastern  port  with  a 
crew  of  several  men  and  a  cargo  of  many  loaded  freight 
cars.  The  boat  had  just  been  completely  overhauled 
and  pronounced  entirely  seaworthy  by  private  and 
government  inspectors.  There  was  no  very  rough 
sea  encountered,  and  yet,  on  that  trip,  the  boat  sank 
with  all  its  cargo  and  more  than  a  score  of  men.  At 
first  the  cause  of  this  calamity  seemed  to  be  a  mystery, 
but  in  the  investigation  which  followed,  it  developed 
that  one  of  the  watchmen,  who  was  strictly  charged 
by  the  rules  with  the  duty  of  making  an  examination 
every  hour  of  that  part  of  the  hull  of  the  boat  under 


40  PREVENTION   OF 

the  open  portholes,  had  failed  to  comply  with  the  rules. 
These  holes  were  in  the  side  of  the  boat  just  above  the 
water  line,  and  were  left  open  for  ventilation  or  some 
other  necessary  purpose.  He  had  made  these 
examinations  hundreds  of  times  on  former  trips 
and  found  everything  all  right.  On  this  trip  the  wind 
happened  to  be  just  right  to  carry  the  water  into  these 
holes  in  small  quantities.  Being  unobserved,  the  weight 
of  the  water,  as  it  gradually  accumulated  inside,  lowered 
the  boat,  so  that  after  a  time  some  of  these  holes  were 
at  the  water's  edge.  The  trouble,  by  this  time,  was 
discovered,  but  the  water  was  then  rushing  in  so  fast 
the  pumps  could  not  meet  the  demands.  Cars  were 
shoved  into  the  lake  to  lighten  the  load,  but  to  no 
avail.  All  because  a  watchman,  who  was  paid  and 
depended  upon  to  do  what  he  was  told  to  do,  failed  to 
do  it.  He  took  a  chance.  Won  many  times,  but  lost  once. 
My  mind  reverts  a  few  years,  to  a  dreary  win- 
ter night  in  the  mountains  of  Colorado,  where,  as 
the  result  of  a  chance  taken  by  a  telegraph  operator 
at  a  wayside  station,  I  can  see  now  as  plainly  as  I 
see  your  faces  before  me,  and  hear  as  distinctly 
as  I  can  hear  the  blasts  of  a  hundred  steam  whistles, 
thirty-four  men,  women,  and  children  burning 
to  a  crisp  as  they  struggled  frantically  to  extri- 
cate themselves  from  the  wreckage  of  a  car  from  which, 
by  the  grace  of  God,  I  escaped.  I  can  hear  their  ago- 
nized cries  for  help,  but  the  man  who  took  the  chance 
left  them  no  chance.  Let  every  railroad  man  read 
above  their  nameless  graves  the  epitaph,  "Died  by 
Chance." 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  41 

You  are  taking  chances  every  day.  Perhaps 
so  far  you  have  been  winning,  and  nothing  is  known 
<of  it  except  by  yourselves  and  the  men  working  with 
you.  If  you  keep  it  up,  just  as  certain  as  the  sun  shines, 
some  sad  day  you  are  going  to  lose. 

If  railroad  men  must  gamble,  let  them  do  it  in  the 
approved  fashion,  where  the  stakes  are  the  coin  of 
the  realm  and  not  the  lives  and  limbs  of  their  fellow- 
men. 

It  doesn't  pay,  gentlemen.  You  had  better  quit  it. 
Quit  it  right  now  while  your  skin  is  whole,  your  job 
safe,  and  your  conscience  clear. 

There  is  another  way,  gentlemen,  in  which  you  are 
writing  this  record.  That  is  by  your  failure  to  comply 
with  all  the  rules  and  regulations.  Notice  I  say 
all  the  rules  and  regulations.  Some,  of  course, 
are  more  important  than  others,  but  all  are  neces- 
sary and  important  or  they  would  not  have  been 
issued. 

The  manner  of  compliance  with  some  rules  must, 
from  the  very  nature  of  the  rules,  be  left  to  a  certain 
extent  to  the  judgment  of  you  men.  Notice  I  say 
manner  of  compliance,  and  not  compliance.  There 
are  other  rules — the  majority — which  are  simple  and 
positive  and  can  be  complied  with  in  one  and  only 
one  way.  The  trouble  is  not  so  much  with  the  man 
who  honestly  tries  to  comply  with  a  rule  and  uses  poor 

You  have  no  right  to  take  chances.     The  other 
fellow  may  have  to  take  the  consequences. 


42  PREVENTION    OF 

judgment  as  with  the  man  who  makes  no  attempt 
to  comply  with  the  rule. 

There  is  a  tendency  on  the  part  'of  some  railroad 
employes — and  the  higher  up  in  the  scale  of  employes, 
as  the  danger  increases,  the  greater 
Bad  Tendency,  is  the  tendency — to  use  their  own 
judgment  as  to  the  necessity  and 
advisability  of  complying  with  positive  rules.  Individ- 
ual independence  is  generally  an  admirable  trait, 
but  it  has  no  legitimate  place  in  railroading  when  it 
tends  to  make  any  employe  feel  that  he  has  the  right 
to  determine  the  question  of  necessity  of  the  rules 
which  he  is  charged  to  obey.  Railroading  is  like  war 
in  more  than  the  one  way  in  which  the  comparison  is 
ordinarily  understood. 

Not  long  ago  I  happened  to  be  standing  beside  a 
piece  of  new  track  near  a  speed  limit  board  which  posi- 
tively directed  speed  on  that  track  to  be  reduced  to 
twenty  miles  per  hour.  While  I  stood  there  a  passenger 
train  passed  running  at  fully  forty  miles  per  hour. 
Now,  the  division  engineer  who  had  charge  of  that  track 
had  had  years  of  professional  training  and  experience, 
and  he  knew  just  how  much  speed  was  safe  on  that 
track.  Yet  the  engineman  of  that  train,  with  no  pro- 
fessional training  and  no  track  experience  whatever, 
laughed  at  that  board  placed  there  to  protect  the  lives 
of  himself  and  passengers,  called  the  division  engineer 
a  fool,  and  ran  according  to  his  ideas  of  what  was  safe 
and  proper.  What  may  you  expect  from  the  fireman 
who  receives  such  training  when  he  becomes  an  engine- 
man? 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  43 

One  of  the  most  positive  and  absolute  rules  of  this 
company  is  that  requiring  car  repairers  to  protect 
themselves  by  flag  or  light  when 
Car  Repairers,  working  under  cars.  The  necessity 
and  reasonableness  of  this  rule  is 
apparent  to  every  one,  and  you  would  naturally  think 
that  the  men  for  whose  exclusive  benefit  the  rule  exists 
would  be  most  careful  to  comply  with  it.  Yet  it  is  not 
an  unusual  thing  for  a  foreman  to  have  to  discipline 
some  man  for  failure  to  comply  with  this  rule,  and 
injuries  and  death  from  a  violation  of  this  plain  posi- 
tive rule  are  not  uncommon.  Relaxation  of  vigilance 
on  the  part  of  those  in  authority  would  result  in  a 
wholesale  disregard  of  this  rule  by  the  very  men  whose 
lives  are  protected  by  it. 

I  know  an  engineman  who  is  now  lying  upon  his 
back  with  a  broken  leg  because  a  brakeman  when 
he  left  his  train  in  the  yard  was  in  a  hurry  to  get  home. 
Positive  instructions  required  the  brakes  to  be  set  on  at 
least  eight  cars  to  hold  them  on  the  track  where  the 
brakeman  had  left  his  train,  and  this  brakeman  was 
charged  with  the  duty  of  carrying  out  these  instructions. 
Yet  he  thought  he  knew  better  than  the  yardmaster 
how  many  brakes  were  necessary,  and  set  brakes  on 
only  two  cars.  He  had  no  more  than  gotten  out  of 
the  yard  when  the  cars  ran  back  and  collided  with  an 
engine. 

Some  years  ago,   when  I   was  new  in  the  railroad 

Do  things  the  way  you  are  told.    Then  if  trouble 
comes,  it's  up  to  the  Boss. 


44  PREVENTION   OF 

business  and  made  up  in  enthusiasm  what  I  lacked  in 
judgment,  I  was  investigating 
Crossing  Signals,  the  case  of  a  man  who  had  been 
struck  and  killed  by  a  train  at  a 
public  crossing  out  in  the  country.  Three  or  four 
people  who  lived  nearby  happened  to  be  present  when 
I  was  examining  the  crossing.  They  claimed  that  the 
engineman  of  the  train  which  struck  the  man  didn't 
sound  the  required  signals  for  the  crossing,  and  stated 
that  it  was  a  common  occurrence  for  enginemen  to  ap- 
proach that  crossing  without  sounding  the  required 
signals.  In  my  own  mind  I  resented  the  imputation 
cast  upon  the  enginemen,  and  to  prove  these  men 
liars,  I  suggested  we  watch  the  next  train  which  was 
then  about  due.  So  we  all  lined  up  in  anxious  expec- 
tation. And  the  train  came  and  passed  with  the  bell 
still  and  the  whistle  silent.  Those  men  laughed,  and 
what  they  said  was  a  plenty.  What  I  said  I  decline 
to  testify  to.  When  the  engineman  was  confronted 
with  the  charge,  he  said  I  ought  to  have  sent  him  a 
message  letting  him  know  that  we  were  going  to  be  there. 

His  good  faith  in  complying  with  the  rules  was  on  a  par 
with  that  of  the  brakeman  who,  at  the  coroner's  inquest, 
swore  earnestly  that  he  swung  his  lantern  right  in  the  face 
of  the  man  who  was  afterwards  killed,  but  when  he  got 
outside  said  he  was  sweating  blood  all  the  time  for  fear 
the  coroner  would  ask  him  if  the  lantern  was  lighted. 

You  are  paid  to  comply  with  these  positive  rules  and 
instructions.  Why,  in  the  name  of  common  justice, 
don't  you  do  it?  Have  you  any  right  not  to  do  it? 
Human  life  is  at  stake. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  46 

I  hear  some  of  you  say  you  can't  get  over  the  road 

on  time  and  do  the  work  if  you  comply  with  all  the 

rules  and  regulations.     I  have  made  a 

Can't  Get  Over  fair  test  of  that,  and  I  know  others  who 

The  Road,  have  made  tests  of  it  on  many  occasions, 
and  I  know  the  argument  is  not  sound. 

But,  if  it  were  a  fact  that  you  could  not  comply  with 
positive  rules  and  instructions,  do  your  work  and  make 
reasonable  time,  should  you  not  comply  just  the  same 
and  put  the  trouble  squarely  up  to  the  superintendent? 
He  is  paid  to  look  after  trouble.  I  know  you  work 
under  pressure,  but  just  remember  this — Safety  before 
Speed. 

There  is  not  an  official  on  the  road  who  would  not 
rather  you  would  get  the  train  over  the  road  safely 
than  get  it  over  on  time,  if,  as  sometimes  happens,  you 
are  unable  to  do  both.  You  are  not  censured  for  taking 
the  safe  course. 

Besides,  it  is  a  fact,  clearly  shown  by  the  records, 
that  the  greater  portion  of  the  ordinary  injuries  due 
to  train  movements  (volume  of  traffic  being  considered) 
arise  in  the  yard  service  and  in  handling  local  and  slow 
freight,  where  time  is  not  an  element  of  such  great 
importance  as  it  is  with  other  traffic,  and  which,  under 
existing  conditions,  is  moved  to  a  great  extent  behind 
schedule.  I  admit  that  fast  freight  and  passenger 
trains  involve  less  hazard  of  the  ordinary  nature,  but 

You  are  paid  to  comply  with  rules.    Have  you  any 

right  not  to  comply?    Think  of  that  when 

you  sign  the  pay  roll. 


46  PREVENTION    OF 

we  do  not  receive  from  this  class  of  traffic,  which  generally 
moves  on  schedule,  anything  like  the  number  of  injuries 
which  would  result  if  your  argument  as  to  the  incon- 
sistency of  strict  compliance  with  rules  and  speed  were 
well  founded.  This  is  not  a  reason,  but  an  excuse. 

Don't  allow  yourself  to  be  deluded  with  this  thread- 
bare excuse  any  longer.  It  is  not  up  to  date.  It  should 
have  vanished  with  the  link  and  the  pin. 

But  if  this  is  the  standing  excuse  of  trainmen,  what 
excuse  have  you  shopmen,  trackmen,  and  others? 
You  constitute  a  greater  number  than  the  trainmen. 
You  don't  have  to  get  trains  over  the  road.  What 
excuse  have  you  got  when  you  violate  positive  rules? 
I  do  not  by  any  means  believe  that  a  majority  of  you 
are  indifferent  to  the  obedience  of  rules  and  regulations, 
but  many  of  you  are,  and  you  are  the  ones  I  am  talk- 
ing to.  While  I  have  for  the  most  part  in  the  examples 
which  I  have  cited  referred  to  trainmen,  do  not  for  a 
minute  think  that  you  employes  in  the  other  branches 
of  the  service  have  not  furnished  many  examples  which 
could  as  well  be  used. 

Let's  be  honest  with  ourselves  and  quit  trying  to 
put  the  blame  upon  the  other  fellow.  We  will  never 
prevent  these  accidents  till  we  do. 

The  ingenuity  of  the  argument  advanced  by  some 
of  you  men  to  put  the  blame  upon  the  other  fellow 
reminds  me  of  the  farmer  who  had  a  cow  killed  by  the 
train  on  a  highway  crossing.  He  claimed  the  company 
was  at  fault,  and  demanded  damages  because  there 
was  no  sign  at  the  highway  reading  "Look  out  for  the 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS  47 

The  highest  duty  of  conductors  of  passenger  trains 
is  to  look  after  the  safety  of  their  passengers.  Yet  it 
is  a  common  thing  (I  do  not  say  it  is  the  general  rule 
by  any  means,  because  good  men  are  still  in  the  majority) 
to  see  conductors  stand  on  the  coach  platform  at  stations 
and  give  the  signal  to  start  by  means  of  the  air  cord, 
instead  of  getting  down  on  station  platform  where  they 
could  assist  passengers,  if  necessary,  and  where  they 
could  see  that  everything  was  in  a  safe  condition  to 
start  the  train.  Recently  on  a  division  where  a  bulle- 
tin had  but  a  few  weeks  previously  been  issued  requir- 
ing conductors  to  do  this  very  thing,  I  saw  a  conductor, 
at  a  station  of  five  thousand  inhabitants,  stand  in  the 
baggage  car  of  his  train  in  front  of  the  open  door  on 
the  side  next  to  the  station  doing  absolutely  nothing 
during  all  the  time  the  train  stood  at  the  station.  And 
this  conductor  had  a  train  of  three  passenger  cars  and 
only  one  trainman.  Was  that  conductor  doing  right 
by  his  passengers  or  by  the  company  which  paid  for 
his  services? 

Some  time  at  your  leisure  think  over  the  prevent- 
able accidents  with  which  you  are  familiar,  analyze 
the  facts,  and  see  how  many  of  them  you  can  explain 
by  one  of  these  three  causes  —  neglect  of  little 
things,  taking  chances,  violating  rules  and  instruc- 
tions. 

These  three  causes  which  produce  so  many  accidents 
cannot  be  prevented  by  law  nor  by  the  rules  and  regu- 
lations of  the  company.  Their  origin 
The  Personal  is  in  the  personality  of  the  employe, 

Element.        and  their  prevention  must  come  from 


48  PREVENTION    OF 

the  same  source,     It   is   a   matter   of  flesh  and  blood 
and  brain. 

The  solution  of  the  accident  problem  has  been  car- 
ried by  legislation  almost  as  far  as  it  can  be  carried 
without  your  active  interest  and  support.  With  the 
proper  effort  on  your  part,  the  problem  will  be  easy, 
and  in  a  few  years  we  will  wonder  why  and  how  such  a 
list  of  preventable  accidents  could  ever  have  existed. 

There  are  no  men  under  the  sun  who,  as  a  class,  are 
more  generally  intelligent  or  reliable  than  railroad  men 
or  who  are  more  capable  of  acting 
Study  of  Safety,  upon  a  subject  in  a  systematic, 
persistent,  and  effective  manner. 
If  you  railroad  men — all  classes — over  the  United 
States,  while  on  duty  and  off  duty,  when  you  meet 
on  the  streets,  at  your  hotels  and  boarding  houses,  ami 
especially  in  your  lodge  halls,  would — if  you  only  would 
— devote  as  much  time  to  an  earnest  study  and  dis- 
cussion of  the  subject  "How  to  prevent  accidents"  a 
you  do  to  the  wage  schedule  and  subjects  of  grievance, 
the  accident  report  of  the  Interstate  Commerce  Commis- 
sion, in  a  few  years,  would  contain  no  more  figures 
than  a  railroad  man's  tax  schedule. 

Why   don't   vou   take   up,   one   by   one,   the   various 

rules    and    regulations    of    the    company,    and    discuss 

among  yourselves  the  safe  ways  of  complying  with  them 

and  doing  your  work?    Why  don't  you  have  committees 

of  your  own,    charged  with  the  duty 

The  New  Man.     of    giving    some   instructions    as    to 

proper  compliance  with  rules  and  safe 

methods  of   doine    the    work,   to     new   men   admitted 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  49 

to  your  orders,  with  the  special  purpose  of  impressing 
upon  these  men,  when  new  in  the  service,  the  supreme 
importance  of  doing  the  work  safely?  A  new  man  is 
always  more  or  less  of  an  experiment.  Try  to  make 
him  as  little  of  an  experiment  as  possible.  Do  this  for 
your  own  protection.  Just  bear  in  mind  that  the  new 
man  to  whom  you  extend  the  hand  of  fellowship  to-day 
may  run  a  car  over  you  to-morrow. 

Enginemen  are  required  at  the  end  of  their  run  to 

turn  in  slips  indicating  repairs  they  deem  necessary 

to     their     engines,     and     these 

Reporting  repairs,    as    a   rule,    are    made. 

Unsafe  Conditions.     Conductors  are  required  to  place 

repair    tags    on   bad-order    cars 

which  they  discover  in  their  trains.  Can't  you  go  a  step 
further,  voluntarily  and  without  any  instructions  requir- 
ing you  to  do  so,  and,  so  far  as  consistent  with  the  proper 
discharge  of  your  regular  duties,  observe  and  report  dan- 
gerous conditions  generally?  Is  there  any  reason  why 
trainmen  can't  make  it  a  point,  as  they  go  over  the 
road,  to  notice  the  position  and  condition  of  tell-tales, 
whether  crossing  alarm  bells  work  properly,  and  obvious 
things  like  that  pertaining  to  safety,  and  is  there  any 
reason  why  they  should  not  report  any  danger- 
ous conditions  they  observe,  which,  although  they  may 
not  interfere  in  any  manner  with  the  operation  of  trains, 
would  be  likely,  if  not  changed,  to  injure  some  one. 
It  might  not  be  advisable  to  issue  positive  instructions 

Don't  think  because  an  accident  has  not  happened, 
it  won't  happen. 


50  PREVENTION    OF 

to  you  to  do  so,  because  there  are  persons  whose 
express  duties  are  to  look  after  these  things,  and  it 
might  not  be  well  to  divide  responsibility,  but  there 
can  be  no  objections  to  an  interested  co-operation  on 
your  part.  No  one  man  has  more  than  two  eyes,  and 
he  cannot  be  in  more  than  one  place  at  a  time,  so  that 
the  man  whose  express  duty  it  is  to  discover  these 
things,  may  really  be  unable  to  do  so  before  some  one 
is  injured;  and  just  remember  you  may  be  the  "some 
one." 

While  I  am  talking  about  tell-tales,  do  you  know  that 
there  are  some  trainmen  (few,  I  am  glad  to  say)  who  are 
so  reckless  and  inconsiderate  of  the  safety  of  themselves 
and  others  that  they  have  been  known,  as  they  stand 
on  the  top  of  cars  and  approach  tell-tales,  to  strike 
them  with  a  brake  stick  or  some  such  object  in  order 
to  save  themselves  from  " ducking"  or  the  harmless 
experience  of  coming  in  contact  with  them.  This 
tangles  the  ropes  or  throws  them  up  over  the  support, 
or  if  the  tell-tales  are  wires,  it  bends  them  so  that  they 
do  not  serve  their  necessary  and  proper  purpose  until 
they  are  straightened  out  again.  That  may  be  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  during  the  night  some  other  trainman, 
for  lack  of  proper  warning,  may  strike  the  overhead 
obstruction.  A  trainman  who  will  do  a  thing  like  that 
is  unfit  and  unworthy  to  remain  in  the  service  a  minute. 
You  all  agree  to  that,  don't  you?  Sure  you  do.  But 
what  about  the  conductor  or  other  member  of  the  crew 
who  sees  him  do  it  and  says  nothing  about  it? 

Why  don't  you  yard  men,  when  you  see  an  unblocked 
frog,  switch,  or  guard  rail,  tell  the  section  foreman 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  51 

about  it?  If  he  is  the  right  kind  of  man — and  there  is 
no  class  of  men  more  loyal  or  honest  in  the  service 
which  they  render  to  the  company  than  these  same 
section  foremen — he  will  appreciate  your  interest  in 
the  matter  and  will  supply  the  blocking. 

These  accidents  are  very  seldom  indeed  the  result 
of  willful  misconduct,  but  the  trouble  is  we  don't  think 
about  this  personal  injury  feature.  We  are  centering 
our  minds  too  much  on  material  and  not  on  man. 

If  one  of  you  experienced  enginemen  should  burn  a 
boiler  and  allow  a  crown  sheet  to  drop,  every  other 
engineman  on  the  division  would 
Matter  vs.  Man.  know  it  in  six  hours,  and  you 
would  consider  yourself  disgraced 
and  you  would  be  disgraced,  as  an  engineman,  in  the 
estimation  of  other  enginemen.  But  if,  instead  of  drop- 
ping a  crown  sheet,  you  failed  to  ring  the  bell  when 
you  started  the  engine  and  backed  onto  your  train, 
and  caught  and  killed  a  brakeman,  or  if  you  failed  to 
sound  the  required  signals  on  approaching  a  public 
highway  crossing,  and  as  a  result  of  such  failure,  struck 
and  killed  some  one,  would  you  feel  as  guilty,  and  would 
your  conduct  be  regarded  as  reprehensible  by  your 
associates  in  the  one  case  as  the  other? 

I  want  to  say  something  to  you  on  the  subject  of 
discipline  in  its  relation  to  personal  injuries.  Human 


Do  Things  Right  and  You  Won't  Have  to  Put  on 

Gloves    When     You     Open     Personal 

Letters  from  the  Boss. 


52  PREVENTION    OP 

nature  is  pretty  much  the  same  the  world  over.  Ail  of 
us  like  to  have  our  faults  covered  by 
Discipline,  the  mantle  of  charity,  and  when  we  side- 
step a  little  from  the  straight  and  narrow 
path  and  something  happens  and  we  get  caught,  we 
at  once  begin  to  pull  and  tug  at  this  ancient  piece  of 
cloth,  already  greatly  strained  to  shelter  others,  to 
make  it  cover  our  own  anatomy.  And  if  no  good  pur- 
pose is  to  be  served  by  removing  it,  we  should  allow  it 
to  remain.  But  we  should  not  cover,  or  allow  another 
to  cover,  with  this  mantle  a  sore  which,  un exposed  and 
untreated,  is  sure  to  spread  to  and  injure  others.  Charity, 
with  her  right  hand,  has  aided  thousands  of  victims, 
while,  with  her  left,  she  has  made  hundreds. 

I  do  not  believe  that  the  problem  of  discipline  will 
ever  be  solved  aright  until  employes  come  to  under- 
stand that  they  are  the  ones 

Employes  Benefited  By     who  are  always  benefited  by 
Proper  Discipline.          proper  discipline.    Until  they 

cease   to   act   as   some — not 

all — of  them  do  act,  as  if  they  thought  the  interest  of 
the  management  is  antagonistic  to  their  interest,  and 
that  those  who  were  in  their  ranks  yesterday,  but 
happen  to  be  in  authority  to-day,  take  a  grim  delight 
in  entering  records  of  discipline  and  discharge. 

Your  organizations  are  all  right.     They  are  the  pro- 
duct of  modern  economic  condi- 

Personal   Interest       tions  and    have  come    to    stay. 

vs.  Safety.          The  thought  that  gave  birth  to 

those   organizations   was   mutual 

protection.      Their  origin  being  recent,  this   thought  is 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  63 

still  dominant  and  supreme  and  supremely  dominant. 
Commendable  as  that  thought,  in  the  abstract,  or  when 
rightly  applied  to  concrete  examples  may  be,  like 
everything  else,  it  can  be,  and  it  has  been,  carried  too  far. 

You  know,  gentlemen,  as  well  as  I  do,  and  a  great 
deal  better,  that  there  is  entirely  too  much  of  that 
spirit  "my  order  will  protect  me."  It  should  protect 
you  just  as  far  as  you  are  in  the  right  and  no  farther. 
Perhaps  you  say  that  is  just  what  it  does,  and  perhaps 
you  think  so,  but  are  you  not  mistaken?  Is  it  not  a 
fact,  broadly  speaking,  with  an  exception  here  and 
there,  that  through  your  grievance  committees,  you 
champion  the  cause  of  too  many  of  your  members? 
Do  you  not  too  often  plead  for  the  mantle  of  charity 
to  cover  sores  which  you  well  know  are  contagious 
and  which  should,  for  the  good  of  all,  be  treated  by 
isolation?  Are  you  not  almost  always  the  attorney 
instead  of  the  judge? 

I  have  in  mind  now  the  case  of  a  man  who  ran  his 
train,  in  backward  motion,  at  twenty-five  to  thirty 
miles  per  hour,  through  a  congested  yard,  collided  with 
another  train,  killed  one  man  and  injured  several  others. 
At  the  investigation,  he  added  insult  to  injury  by  claim- 
ing that  the  air  on  his  engine  would  not  work.  This 
claim  was  carefully  investigated  both  by  the  officials 
of  the  company  and  the  coroner,  and  the  coroner,  in 
his  verdict,  found  the  man  at  fault  and  that  the  air 
on  the  engine  and  everything  else  about  the  train  was 

'  •  "       ~  "  "       '"" "  — • 

To   be  careless,   thoughtless,  or  reckless,   means 
injury  sooner  or  later  to  yourself  or  others. 


54  PREVENTION   OF 

in  good  condition.  He  was,  of  course,  discharged, 
and  was  lucky  indeed  not  to  have  been  indicted  for 
manslaughter.  Yet,  gentlemen,  some  of  his  railroad 
friends  tried  to  get  him  back  into  the  service. 

There  are  plenty  of  instances  of  this  kind  applicable 
to  all  classes  of  your  organizations.  You  know  of  more 
of  them  than  I  do. 

Perhaps  you  say  that  this  man  has  had  his  lesson  and 
will  never  be  guilty  of  such  conduct  again.  That  argu- 
ment, gentlemen,  has  force  when  applied  to  the  man 
who  has  honestly  tried  to  comply  with  the  company's 
rules  and  regulations  and  has  simply  made  a  mistake. 
That  man  deserves  charitable  consideration  and  he 
generally  gets  it.  Discipline  should  never  work  an 
injustice  to  anyone. 

But  the  class  of  men  I  am  talking  about — the  reck- 
less chancetakers,  the  persistent  violators  of  rules  and 
instructions — show  that  there  is  some- 
Some  Men  thing  inherently  wrong  with  them. 
Not  for  They  are  like  dollar  watches — they 

R.  R.  Service,  were  never  made  for  railroad  service. 
i  All  the  jewelers  in  the  United  States 

can't  make  a  dollar  watch  pass  railroad  inspection. 
Unfortunately,  these  men,  unlike  the  watches,  do  pass 
inspection,  because  their  flaws  are  hidden  and  can  be 
revealed  only  by  test.  You  see  the  tests  every  day, 
see  the  flaws,  say  nothing,  some  one  is  killed  as  a  result 
of  the  flaws,  and  still,  many  of  you  want  the  machine, 
•with  all  its  flaws,  put  back  into  service.  What  assur- 
ance have  you  that  you  will  not  be  the  next  one  killed 
by  that  flaw?  The  mistake  you  make,  gentlemen, 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS  55 

is  in  trying  to  make  a  standard  watch  out  of  dollar 
material. 

It  is  true,  gentlemen,  that  those  who  advocate  the  cause 
of  this  class  of  men  are  often  actuated  by  charitable 
motives  for  the  men  and  their  families.  Such  mo- 
tives are  commendable,  but  they  should  be  followed 
with  judgment.  Just  remember  that  the  safety  of 
yourself  and  the  protection  of  your  own  families  are  at 
stake. 

Be  it  said  in  this  connection  to  the  credit  of  one  of 
your  organizations — and  I  trust  it  may  be  truthfully 
said  of  others,  I  do  not  know  whether  it  can  or  not — that 
it  will  not  advocate  the  cause  of  any  of  its  members 
rightfully  disciplined  for  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors. 
This  is  a  step  in  the  right  direction.  But  can  you  not,  and 
should  you  not,  go  a  step  farther  and  let  it  be  known, 
in  the  most  emphatic  manner,  that  you,  no  more  than 
the  management,  will  tolerate  in  the  service  the  con- 
firmed chancetaker  and  persistent  violator,  of  positive 
rules  and  instructions.  You  know  who  these  men  are 
a  great  deal  better  than  the  superintendent  knows  or 
can  know  them.  The  superintendent,  in  the  natural 
order  of  things,  seldom,  if  ever,  has  his  attention  called 
to  this  class  of  men  until  they  violate  some  rule  and 
something  happens,  or  take  a  chance  and  lose.  You 
see  them  doing  these  things  every  day.  When  some- 
thing happens,  as  it  always  does  sooner  or  later,  and 
one  of  these  men  is  discharged,  nr.t  always — but  still 

Safety  Should  Be  the  First  Consideration  of  Every 
Employe. 


56  PREVENTION   OF 

•\ 

entirely  too  often — you  do  your  best    to  get  him  back 

into   the  service.     Perhaps  you   say 

Moral  Support,     that  the  management  is  not  compelled 

to  reinstate  the  man.    That  is  true; 

but  the  harm    is    done    in    the    moral    support    which 

you  have  given  that  man  and  the  class  to  which  he 

belongs,    whether   that   support   has    availed   anything 

in  his  case  or  not. 

Withdraw  your  moral  support  from  this  class  of  men, 
and  one  of  two  things  will  happen.  Either  they  will 
leave  the  service,  voluntarily  or  otherwise,  or  they 
will  change  their  ways  and  become  one  of  you. 

Why  don't  you — the  careful,  cautious  men,  and  you 

are  in  the  majority,  no  one  denies  that — when  you  see 

these  men  doing  these  things,  go  to 

Insist  Upon  them,  then  and  there,  or  bring  them 
High  Standard,  before  you  in  your  lodges,  and  in  a 
friendly  but  firm  manner  make  them 
see  the  error  of  their  ways?  If  they  then  fail  or  refuse 
to  do  business  right,  are  you  not  a  hundred  times  more 
interested  than  the  superintendent  in  having  them 
out  of  the  service?  If  you  don't  get  them  out  sooner 
or  later,  they  are  going  to  injure  or  kill  some  one,  and 
there  are  about  eight  chances  out  of  ten  that  some  OIK* 
of  you  careful  men  will  be  the  one.  The  crape  won't 
hang  on  the  superintendent's  door. 

Should  not  every  member  of  every  order  be  made  to 

understand  that  his  order  is  an  impartial  judge  whose 

purpose  is  always  fully  to  hear  and   fairly 

Justice,     decide  his  case  and  determine  if  any  of  his 

richts  have  been  invaded,  and  the  equally 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  57 

important  question  if  he  has  invaded  the  rights  of  any 
one? 

In  leaving  this  subject  with  you,  I  want  to  burn 
deeply  into  your  minds  this  fact.  Every  example  given 
here  of  the  way  injuries  occur,  is  from  actual  experience, 
and  you  employes  and  your  families  are  the  ones  who 
are  suffering  from  this  record. 

Gentlemen,  you  can  put  an  end  to  a  majority  of  these 
preventable  accidents,  and  no  one  else  can.  Will  you 
do  it?  Will  you  do  it?  Remember  that  you  are  paying 
the  penalty. 

Just  think  how  much  it  would  mean  if  each 
one  of  you  would  prevent  only  one  accident  a 
year.  After  an  accident  has  happened,  we  often  see 
how  easily  it  could  have  been  prevented.  Let's  think 
how  an  accident  might  happen  to  us,  or  the  men 
working  with  us,  and  then  do  the  little  thing  which  will 
prevent  it.  It  doesn't  require  any  big  effort,  nor  take 
much  time.  "Get  the  Safety  Habit."  The  rest  will 
be  easy.  ^ 

In  conclusion,  let  me  state  that  everything  said  here 
has  been  said  with  the  best  feeling,  as  one  railroad 
man  to  another,  prompted  by  the  sole  motive  to  save 
life  and  limb — your  life  and  limb.  I  have  spoken  the 
plain  truth  in  a  plain  way,  because  it  was  plainly  neces- 
sary, but  I  hope  in  no  way  to  give  offense  to  any  rea- 
sonably constituted  man  having  at  heart  a  proper  regard 
for  his  fellow  man. 

I  have  shown  you  the  "nettle  of  danger,"  that  you 
may  pluck  the  "rose  of  safety." 


Illustrations  of  the  Unsafe  and  the 
Safe  Ways. 


Every  picture  shown  here  represents  actual  condi- 
tions and  methods,  not  in  the  least  exaggerated,  which 
have  often  caused  serious  accidents  and  which  are 
absolutely  certain  to  continue  to  do  so  as  long  as 
they  exist.  Now,  when  you  look  at  these  pictures, 
don't  say,  " That's  right,  that's  just  what  takes  place," 
and  then  go  and  do  the  very  things  they  tell  you  not 
to  do.  They  are  intended  for  instruction — not  enter- 
tainment— and  they  are  meant  for  YOU.  v  (Many  of 
the  pictures  were  posed  for  and  should  not  be  taken 
as  a  reflection  upon  any  particular  individual.)  If  you 
have  been  doing  any  of  the  careless  things  here  repre- 
sented— and  you  know  you  have — without  appreciating 
the  danger  attending  such  acts,  what  excuse  will  you  have 
if  you  keep  on  doing  so?  None,  absolutely  none.  Don't 
delude  yourself  with  the  pretense  that  you  must  do 
these  careless  things.  I  defy  any  man  to  give  a  reason- 
able excuse  for  doing  any-  of  the  things  which  these 
pictures  warn  one  to  guard  against. 

As  you  value  your  own  life  and  the  welfare  of  those 
dependent  upon  you  and  the  safety  of  your  fellow 
employes,  which  is  linked  with  your  own,  pledge  your- 
self NOW  to  heed  these  and  all  similar  warnings.  Get 
the  Safety  Habit. 

59 


Baggage  loaded  carelessly. 


Result  of  such  loading.  This  generally  happens  when  a  train 
is  at  or  pulling  into  the  station  and  the  platform  is  crowded 
with  passengers.  Note  idcles  hanging  from  roof  of  station. 
They  are  liable  to  fall  and  hurt  some  one. 


Aisle  obstructed  by  hand  baggage. 

this. 


Trainmen  should  not  allow 


An  unblocked  frog,  switch,  or  guard  rail  presents  a  dangerous 
trap.  When  an  accident  happens  from  this  cause,  it  generally 
means  death — or  worse. 


or. 


A  track  jack  should  never  be  operated  on  inside  of  rail  if  it 
can  be  avoided — and  it  almost  always  can  be;  and  when  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  so  operate  it,  protection  should  be  afforded 
by  flag.  If  a  rapidly  moving  train  had  appeared  around  llus 
curve,  there  would  likely  have  been  a  derailment,  or  one  or 
more  trackmen  injured  or  killed  in  trying  to  remove  jack,  or 
perhaps  both. 


66 


Track  jack  placed  outside  of  rail — the  safe  way. 


67 


Men  working  with  air  hammer  finding  it  impossible  to  get 
body  of  hammer  in  position  to  operate  properly,  and  having 
only  a  few  strokes  to  make,  often  remove  punch  from  hammer 
and  strike  it  with  ordinary  hammer  in  order  to  save  time  and 
trouble  of  getting  proper  tool  for  the  purpose.  Punch  being 
highly  tempered,  this  is  a  very  dangerous  thing  to  do. 

Never  strike  tempered  steel  of  any  kind  with  a  hammer  or 
similar  tool. 


Operating  machine  while  holding  a  conversation.  Don't  try 
to  do  both  at  the  same  time.  If  you  do,  you  may  not  find  that 
''talk  is  cheap.'! 


Kicking  drawbar  as  cars  are  about  to  couple.    A  most  reckless 
and  dangerous  thing  to  do. 


A  too  frequent  practice  of  elevator  operators  is  to  open  door 
of  cage  before  car  is  even  with  floor.  Passengers  entering  hur- 
riedly stumble  and  fall  or  get  their  feet  caught  in  opening  be- 
tween car  and  floor  and  the  elevator,  continuing  to  move  down- 
ward, may  cause  a  serious  injury. 


75 


If  this  engine  should  suddenly  move  backward,  what  chance 
would  this  man  have?  The  safe  place  is  on  the  other  side  of 
tli«i  coal  apron. 


77 


Striking  with  hammer  cutting  tool  to  adjust  it  to  spindle 
in  lathe.  Such  tools  are  tempered  steel,  and  when  struck  with 
hammer  or  similar  metal  object  are  very  liable  to  break  into 
flying  chips.  Recently  one  young  man  lost  his  eye,  and  others 
have  received  eye  injuries  in  this  way.  When  necessary  to 
force  the  tool,  a  piece  of  wood  or  brass  should  be  placed  against 
it  for  the  hammer  to  strike. 


V     !  *«' 


Standing  between  rails  and  jumping  upon  footboard  as  engine 
approaches.    Entirely  unnecessary  and  most  dangerous. 


The  proper  and  safe  way  to  get  upon  footboard  as  engine 
approaches. 


Not  a  repair  yard,  as  one  might  suppose.  Actual  condition, 
found  in  a  congested  freight  terminal,  where  cars  were  being 
switched  almost  constantly  day  and  night. 

What  chance  has  a  trainman  under  such  conditions? 

This  picture  should  convey  a  lesson.  (1)  To  employes  of 
car  department — not  to  place  repair  material  and  broken  parts 
from  cars  between  tracks  where  trainmen  are  likely  to  stumble 
over  it.  (2)  To  maintenance  of  way  employes — not  to  so  place 
their  own  material  (note  the  three  loose  ties)  and  to  remove 
all  material,  however  deposited,  at  once  and  not  to  wait  "till 
cleaning  up  time."  Don't  say  you  haven't  time.  When  some 
one  is  injured  or  killed  because  of  such  material — as  happens 
right  along — you  always  find  time  to  clean  up.  Do  it  before 
the  accident  happens.  It  will  take  less  time  than  it  will  to 
make  out  an  accident  report.  (3)  To  trainmen — to  report  such 
(and  all  unnecessarily  dangerous)  conditions  as  soon  as  you 
discover  them  and  request  that  they  be  made  safe.  Tell  them 
that  your  life  is  at  stake  and  keep  on  telling  them  till  they  pay 
attention  to  you. 


83 


Showing  insufficient  and  unsafe  insulation  at  terminals  of 
feed  wires.  An  employe,  while  working  around  the  frame 
supporting  these  wires,  came  in  contact  with  the  flat  metal  strips 
securing  the  terminals  and  received  a  fatal  shock. 


Sitting  on  brake  wheel  of  moving  car.  A  dangerous  practice, 
as  the  sudden  jar  of  car  due  to  breaking  of  air  hose  or  other 
cause  would  very  likely  throw  one  off  the  car. 


Here  we  see  conditions  which  are  responsible  for  injury  to 
many  patrons,  especially  at  small  stations,  where,  at  night, 
artificial  light  is  often  poor.  (And  such  conditions  are  more 
often  found  at  such  stations.)  Baggage,  express,  freight,  a 
hand  truck,  and  the  tongue  of  baggage  truck  (note  it  is  lying 
down  instead  of  being  hooked  up),  are  left  where  passengers 
are  not  only  likely,  but  almost  certain,  to  stumble  over  them, 
especially  at  night,  or  even  in  the  day  time  if  in  a  hurry  to  catch 
a  train.* 

*  The  above  and  the  five  illustrations  next  following  reproduced 
by  Courtesy  of  the  Editor  of  The  North-Western  Bulletin,  a 
periodical  published  in  the  interest  of  the  North-Western  Line 
and  its  employes,  Chicago,  111. 


Many  passengers  are  injured  in  getting  on  or  off  trains  or  while 
on  station  premises.  While  we  all  know  that  a  large  percentage 
of  these  injuries  is  due  to  the  fault  of  the  passenger,  we  must 
admit  that  many  of  them  are  due  to  the  failure  of  employes  to 
give  passengers  proper  care  and  attention  while  going  to  and  from 
and  in  getting  on  and  off  trains.  This  illustration  shows  a 
form  of  neglect  that  is  responsible  for  many  injuries.  The 
trainman,  after  placing  the  stepping  box,  is  rendering  no  assist- 
ance to  passengers,  one  of  whom  is  an  old  lady  who  needs 
special  attention.  Too  often  conductors  remain  on  coach  plat- 
forms, while  making  station  stops,  when  they  should  be  upon 
station  platform  looking  after  safety  of  passengers. 

Aside  from  the  matter  of  safety,  it  should  be  remembered 
that  the  public,  to  a  great  extent,  forms  its  opinion  of  a  rail- 
road from  the  treatment  received  from  the  employes  of  its 
passenger  trains.  A  considerate  and  obliging  conductor  or 
trainman  is  one  of  the  company's  best  traveling  passenger  agents. 


01 


Special  care  should  be  exercised  by  trainmen  when  shifting 
cars  over  public  highways.  If  the  highway  is  not  protected  by 
gateman  or  flagman,  one  of  their  number  should,  in  every  case, 
furnish  protection  to  the  public  by  standing  at  the  highway 
or  by  riding  head  end  of  forward  car  and  keeping  proper  lookout. 
Even  when  the  highway  is  protected  by  gateman  or  flagman, 
they  should  not  assume  that  no  attention  to  movements  over 
the  highway  is  required  of  them.  In  this  illustration,  we  see 
two  trainmen,  each  intent  upon  his  duty,  yet  each  neglecting 
to  do  his  entire  duty.  The  brakeman  at  the  switch  is  paying 
no  attention  to  the  crossing — although  he  could  just  as  .well 
look  in  that  direction  when  he  would  see  the  perilous  position 
of  the  traveler  on  the  highway  and  signal  the  engineman  at 
once  to  .stop.  The  brakeman  riding  the  cars  is  on  the  second 
car  from  forward  end  and  has  his  back  turned  toward  the  high- 
way. They,  perhaps,  assume  that  the  gateman  will  look  out  for 
the  crossing,  which  he  should  do,  but,  as  sometimes  happens, 
he  has  failed  to  lower  the  gates  in  time  and  serious  injury  or 
death  is  likely  to  result  to  one  or  two  persons  which  could  per- 
haps be  avoided  if  the  trainmen  had  simply  looked  toward  the 
crossing,  when  they  would  have  seen  the  danger,  and  given  a 
stop  signal.  Note  the  engineman  is  "on  the  other  side"  and  the 
fireman,  we  suppose  is  "putting  in  a  fire." 


Unsecured  doors  of  moving  freight  cars  are  sometimes  re- 
sponsible for  injuries.  Doors  of  refrigerator  cars  are  especially 
dangerous  because  of  their  thickness  and  ability  to  swing  out- 
ward. Employes  of  trains  in  yards,  on  sidings,  and  on  double 
track,  are  struck  by  these  open  and  "flapping"  doors,  and  some- 
times the  side  of  coaches  are  scraped  and  passengers  injured. 

Cars  should  not  be  permitted  to  start  from  any  station  or 
terminal  till  all  doors  are  known  to  be  in  good  condition,  and 
properly  closed,  and  trainmen  should  see  that  they  remain  so 
during  transit. 


The  danger  of  a  rear-end  collision  begins  the  moment  a 
train  comes  to  a  stop  on  main  line.  The  only  safe  protection 
against  this  danger  is  to  do  exactly  what  the  rule  says,  "GO 
BACK  AND  FLAG."  This  rule  does  not  say  "Flag  when  you 
think  there  is  need  of  protection."  "  Flag  where  there  are 
curves."  "  Flag  when  the  weather  is  such  that  you  will  not  ex- 
pose yourself."  It  says,  "GO  BACK  AND  FLAG."  You 
should  never  allow  yourself  to  say,  or  even  think,  that  in  cer- 
tain cases,  covered  by  the  rule,  it  is  not  necessary.  Experience 
shows  if  is  necessary.  You  have  promised  to  do  it.  You  are 
paid  to  do  it.  Your  own  sudden  death  is  the  only  excuse  for  not 
doing  it. 

GO  BACK  AND  FLAG  AND  BE  SURE  YOU  GO  FAR 
ENOUGH. 


Coupling  air  hose  between  slowly  moving  cars — a  most 
risky  thing  to  do.  Owing  to  tlio  stooping  position  required  to 
reach  the  hose,  and  the  restricted  space,  it  is  necessary  to  walk 
somewhat  sidewiso  to  keep  between  the  cars,  thus  increasing 
the  liability  of  stumbling  and  falling. 

Perhaps  the  only  motive  for  taking  a  chance  of  this  kind  is 
the  ordinarily  commendable  one  of  saving  time,  but  no  con- 
siderate official  wants  time  saved  at  so  great  expense  of  personal 
safety. 


100 


Au  employ^  about  to  go  between  moving  cars  for  some  pur- 
pose in  connection  with  the  coupling  apparatus.  Perhaps 
the  "lever  won't  work"  and  he  is  going  to  "pull  the  pin"  by 
hand.  He  may  get  his  hand  pinched,  but  he  runs  the  greater 
risk  of  stumbling  and  falling  in  which  case  serious  injury  or 
death  is  almost  certain  to  result.  Automatic  couplers  with  lift- 
ing levers,  have  been  applied  at  great  expense,  to  make  it 
unnecessary  for  employes  to  go  between  moving  cars.  When 
they  fail  to  work  (which  is  not  frequent)  the  only  safe  and 
proper  thing  to  do  is  to  stop  the  cars  and  wait  till  they  do  stop 
before  going  between  them.  The  few  seconds  consumed  is  a 
good  safety  investment.  Never  go  between  moving  cars  for  any 
iHirimse  is  a  reasonable  and  safe  precaution.  (See  pp.  26-27 
of  text.) 


101 


Planks  with  points  of  nails  turned  upward  near  tracks  where 
employes  are  liable  to  be  injured  by  them. 


103 


Showing  men  under  car  supported  by  jacks  only — the  unsafe  way. 


Men  under  car  supported  by  jacks  and  horse — the  safe  way. 


105 


THE   HANDLING   OF   EXPLOSIVES. 


It  may  seem  unnecessary  to  say  that  the  greatest 
precautions  should  be  exercised  in  handling  and  trans- 
porting inflammable  and  explosive  materials.  Yet 
every  year  many  persons  are  killed,  a  great  many  more 
injured,  and  millions  of  dollars  worth  of  property  des- 
troyed because  of  failure  to  use  proper  precautions 
with  this  class  of  merchandise.  Some  who  handle 
these  dangerous  substances  do  not  really  know  the 
safe  methods.  Others  know  the  safe  methods,  but 
are  indifferent  to  their  observance.  This  indifference 
often  exists  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  most  accus- 
tomed to  handle  this  material.  Their  familiarity  breeds 
contempt.  There  should  be  no  excuse  for  ignorance 
or  indifference,  and  no  possible  justification  for  taking 
chances  with  these  destructive  agencies. 

The  pictures  here  given  are  photographs*  of  actual 
shipments  showing  unsafe  and  safe  methods  of  loading 
and  transporting  explosives. 

If  you  have  anything  to  do  with  explosives,  study 
these  photographs  most  carefully  and  apply  strictly 
the  valuable  information  they  impart. 


*  Reproduced  by  courtesy  of  the  Bureau  of  Explosives  of  the  American 
Railway  Association,  No,  30  Vesey  Street,  New  York  City.  This  Bureau 
issues  bulletins  from  time  to  time  giving  valuable  instructions  as  to  correct 
methods  of  handling  explosives.  See  these  bulletins  for  further  illustra* 
i  ions,  details,  and  explanations  as  to  safe  handling  of  explosives. 

107 


Showing  what  did  happen  and  what  is  very  liable  to  happen 
to  you  any  time  you  handle  roughly  a  car  containing  explo- 
sives. While  there  is  seldom  an  excuse  for  rough  handling  of 
any  cars,  the  engineman  should,  whenever  reasonably  possible 
t<>  do  so,  be  informed  when  any  car  he  is  required  to  handle 
Contains  explosives,  in  order  that  he  may  use  special  care. 


100 


Improper  loading  and  rough  handling  of  dynamite.     That 
there  was  not  an  explosion   was  due  solely  to  good   fortune. 


Ill 


It  requires  a  strong  imagination  to  conceive  of  a  more  reck- 
less example  of  careless  loading  than  disclosed  by  this  photo- 
graph of  an  actual  shipment.  Dynamite  and  general  merchan- 
dise are  thrown  promiscuously  into  the  car.  Note  the  cement 
slab  and  heavy  boxes  in  position  to  be  thrown  against  the 
dynamite  by  the  least  rough  handling. 


113 


Correct  method  for  small  shipment.  Boxes  held  in  place  by 
"Standard  L.  C.  L.  Shipment  Brace"  held  to  floor  by  two 
ten-penny  nails  for  side  of  each  box  and  one  ten-penny  nail 
for  end  of  each  box  in  actual  contact  with  the  brace. 


115 


Correct  method  for  not  more  than  100  Boxes  (or  200  Kegs) 
loaded  in  one  layer  in  one  end  of  the  car.  The  "Standard 
L.  (\  L.  Shipment  Brace"  is  used  and  it  is  secured  to  floor  by 
forty  10-penny  nails.  It  is  not  necessary  to  brace  the  boxes 
against  the  movement  toward  the  side  of  the  car. 


117 


Correct  method  for  more  than  100  and  not  more  than  240  Boxes. 


110 


i  '.   ' 


Black  powder  loaded  by  shipper.  Receipted  for  and  forwarded 
by  agent  without  examination  by  himself  or  other  company 
employe.  Note  cans  standing  one  upon  the  other,  placed  loosely 
on  floor  of  car,  and  not  secured  or  braced  in  any  way.  Also 
note  leaky  condition  of  some  of  the  cans.  The  agent  was  one 
of  those  fellows  who  are  always  "too  busy." 

Never,  Never,  accept  a  shipment  of  explosives  from 
anyone  without  a  personal  examination  of  the  methods  of 
loading  by  station  agent,  or  some  other  employe  known  to  In- 
competent  and  reliable;  and  DON'T  forward  such  shipments 
until  you  know  that  the  loading  is  proper  and  safe. 


121 


Considerably  better  loading  than  shown  on  previous  page, 
but  still  not  proper  nor  safe.  Cans  not  sufficiently  braced  and 
s< -cured  to  prevent  their  rolling  against,  chafing,  or  cutting 
into  each  other. 


123 


Correct  method  of  loading  a  large  L.  C.  L.  shipment  of  ex- 
plosives in  kegs.  The  kegs  are  piled  to  interlock,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  the  interlocking,  each  partial  layer  of  kegs  is  supported 
by  sections  of  the  "Standard  L.  C.  L.  Shipment  Brace"  of 
length  equal  to  width  of  car. 


125 


Showing  approved  method  for  closing  space  in  center  of  full 
carload. 


127 


A  tank  containing  carbonic  acid  gas  which  exploded  owing 
to  rough  handling.  Note  ten  pieces  of  the  tank.  The  under- 
taker failed  to  find  all  pieces  of  the  man. 


129 


SHOP   SAFETY    DEVICES. 


Fortunately,   the  remedies   for   accident   prevention, 
so  far  at  least  as  safety  devices  go,  are  numerous,  easily 


FIG.  1.  —  Wire  screen  to  prevent  flying  chips.  The  use  of 
this  screen  can  be  varied  by  attaching  to  movable  and  self- 
supporting  frames  which  can  be  set  up  at  various  places  when 
chipping  is  being  done. 

applied  and  generally  of  little  expense.  Almost  all 
machines,  tools  and  appliances  can  be  rendered  reason- 
ably safe  for  proper  operation  by  the  installation  of 

131 


132 


PKEVENTION    OF 


safety  guards  and  appliances,  which,  for  the  most 
part,  can  be  constructed  in  the  ordinary  shop  from 
scrap  or  other  cheap  material.  There  is  hardly  any 
limit  to  the  extent  of  the  application  of  these  devices. 
Of  course,  in  the  purchase  of  new  machinery  it  should 


FIG.  2. — A  bulldozer   effectively  guarded  by  iron  pipe  railing 
and  boiler  plate  guards. 

be  stipulated  and  insisted  that  all  parts  be  guarded  by 
the  manufacturer  to  the  fullest  extent  necessary.  The 
proper  time  and  the  best  time  to  apply  safeguards 
to  any  machine  is  when  it  is  made.  But  until  recently 
manufacturers  gave  almost  no  attention  to  safeguards 
and  they  are  not  now  giving  the  matter  the  attention 
which  should  be  required  of  them  by  the  purchasers 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS 


133 


of  their  machines.  As  a  result  there  are  thousands  of 
machines  in  use,  and  more  (though  not  as  many  as  for- 
merly) are  being  installed,  without  necessary  safe- 
guards. These  machines  should  be  protected  by  "  home- 
made" guards,  some  of  which  are  here  illustrated. 


FIG.  3. — Turntable   with  iron   pipe   railing.     Note   high   and 
favorable  location  of  arc  light. 

A  screen  of  fine  wire  mesh  may  be  used  to  prevent 
injury  by  flying  chips,  as  shown  in  Fig.  1. 

A  bulldozer  effectively  guarded  by  iron  pipe  railing 
and  boiler  plate  guards  is  shown  in  Fig.  2.  Machines 
of  this  nature  present  more  than  ordinary  hazard, 
and  the  railing  alone  is  not  sufficient.  All  movable 
parts  should,  if  possible,  be  completely  enclosed. 


134 


PREVENTION    OF 


A  turntable  provided  with  iron  pipe  railing — a  secure 
wooden  railing  would  answer  the  purpose — is  shown 
in  Fig.  3.  Protection  of  this  nature  is  especially  advisable 
where  snow  and  ice  accumulate.  It  is  difficult  to  pro- 
vide sufficient  light  for  a  turntable  owing  to  smoke 
or  steam,  or  the  shadow  of  the  engine.  Note  the  high 


FIG.  4. — A  timber  planer  guarded  by  railing  and  box  guards 
made  of  boiler  plate. 

and  favorable  location  of  the  arc  light  for  this  table. 
A  timber  planer  protected  by  box  guards  made  of 
boiler  plate  is  shown  in  Fig.  4.  These  guards  would 
be  more  effective  if  they  extended  completely  over  the 
wheels  projecting  beneath  them,  leaving  no  unneces- 
sary exposure  of  movable  parts.  An  example  of  com- 
plete and  effective  safeguarding  of  a  driving  wheel 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  135 

lathe  is  shown  in   Fig.  5.     A  strong  box  encloses  all 
exposed   gears  and   wheels. 

The  following  are  cheap,  but  effective,  safety  devices: 


FIG.  5. — Driving  wheel  lathe  gears  effectively  protected  by  a 
sheet  steel  box. 

A  shield  of  ordinary  flat  glass  about  4  inches  by  5  inches 
in  size  attached  to  the  front  of  the  guard  on  dry  grind- 
ing wheels,  about  6  inches  above  the  rest,  prevents 


136  PREVENTION    OF 

dust  and  sparks  from  flying  into  the  operator's  eyes, 
which  is  a  frequent  source  of  annoyance  and  injury. 
A  "toe  guard"  around  the  edge  of  overhead  platforms, 
stairways  and  walkways  prevents  tools  or  material 
from  falling  or  being  pushed  off  and  striking  some  one 
working  or  passing  beneath.  It  can  be  made  by  attach- 
ing a  thin  strip  of  board  or  metal  around  the  edge  of 
the  structure  so  that  it  extends  about  3  inches  above 
the  walk.  Wood  platforms  (with  the  heads  of  all  nails 
or  screws  sunk  into  the  surface)  placed  on  the  floor  in 
front  of  switch  or  panel  boards,  and  of  such  size  that  one 
must  stand  upon  them  to  reach  the  lever  controlling 
the  current,  ordinarily  afford  safe  protection  from 
electric  shock. 


Construction  and    Application  of  Safety  Guards. 


It  must  not  be  supposed  from  what  has  been  said 
that  the  construction  and  application  of  safety  guards 
is  a  matter  of  such  simplicity  as  to  require  little  thought 
and  skill.  Quite  the  contrary.  In  the  first  place,  intel- 
ligent workmen — even  foremen  in  charge — often  need 
to  have  their  attention  called  to  the  presence  of  danger 
and  the  necessity  for  guards,  on  the  machines  with 
which  they  work,  by  some  man  who  makes  a  special 
study  of  safety.  They  are  often  entirely  unconscious 
of  dangers  which  confront  them  every  minute  of  the 
day  until  some  one  points  them  out.  The  following 
illustrations  show  actual  conditions  which  those  exposed 
had  not  thought  of  as  at  all  hazardous  until  safeguards 
were  applied. 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS 


137 


A  heavy,  sagging  and  fast  moving  leather  belt  over 
a  work  bench,  just  high  enough  to  clear  the  heads  of 
the  men  at  the  bench,  is  shown  in  Fig.  6.  These  men 


FIG.  6. — Heavy  high-speed  belt  which  should  be  safeguarded, 
are  liable  to  be  caught  by  the  sag  of  the  belt,  or  struck 
by  it,  if  it  should  break.*"  Protection  was  afforded  by 
placing  immediately  beneatb   the  belt  a  wide  plank, 
supported  by  brackets  from  the  side  wall. 


138  PREVENTION    OP 

A  large  set  screw  on  a  revolving  spindle,  in  such  posi- 
tion that  the  operator  had  to  reach  around  the  spindle, 
thus  bringing  his  sleeve  in  contact  with  the  screw, 


FIG.  7. — Note  large  set  screw  on  revolving  spindle  near  hand  clutch 

in  order  to  reach  the  hand  clutch,  is  shown  in  Fig.  7. 
Several  men  operated  this  machine  each  day,  to  not 
one  of  whom  had  it  occurred  that  the  head  of  the  screw 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS 


139 


was  likely  to  catch  the  clothing  and  cause  a  broken 
arm  or  other  serious  injury.  A  set  screw  which  caught 
the  clothing  of  the  operator  breaking  his  arm  is  shown 
in  Fig.  8.  In  Fig.  9  is  shown  a  nut-tapping  machine 


FIG.  8. — Set  screw  which  caught  a  man's  sleeve  and  broke 
his  arm. 

with  set  screws  on  revolving  spindles.  One  of  these 
screws  caught  the  clothing  of  the  operator  and  drew 
him  into  the  machine,  resulting  in  his  death.  The 
foremen  in  charge  of  the  shops  containing  these  machines 
and  the  men  working  under  them  were  all  of  superior 


140 


PREVENTION   OP 


intelligence,  but  until  these  injuries  were  received, 
it  had  not  occurred  to  any  of  them  that  these  set 
screws  should  be  guarded.  One  of  the  greatest  dangers 


FIG.  9. — Set  screws  on  spindles  of  nut  tapping  machine  which 
caused  operator's  death. 

is  presented  by  these  revolving  set  screws,  bolt  heads 
01  nuts.  They  can  easily  be  rendered  safe,  as  shown 
by  the  illustrations,  Figs.  10,  11,  and  12. 

A  box  guard  provided  for  the  gears  at  the  end  of  a 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS 


141 


lathe  is  shown  in  Fig.   13.     It  is  necessary  to  change 
these  gears,  and  in  this  case  the  guard  was  constructed 


FIG.   10. — A  good  method  of  safeguarding  set    screw  heads  on 
revolving  parts. 


Correct. 


Incorrect. 


Fn;.    11.  -  Projecting  nuts  on  revolving  parts  should    be  safe- 
guarded. 

to  rest  on  the  floor  and  extend  around  the  gears  which 
could  be  reached  by  simply  setting  the  guard  aside. 
The  only  criticism  of  this  construction  is  that  the 


142 


PREVENTION   OF 


operator  is  liable  not  to  replace  the  guard.  Where 
possible,  it  is  better  to  attach  the  guard  to  the  machine 
by  hinges,  so  that  it  will  swing  shut  of  its  own  accord. 
Guards  for  gear  wheels  should  extend  entirely  over 
the  exposed  part  of  the  gears,  and  both  ends  of  the 
guard  should  be  securely  attached  to  machine.  The 
best  style  of  guard  is  the  box  guard,  which  completely 
encloses  the  wheels,  and  this  style  should  always  be 


FH;.  12. — Projecting  nuts  protected  by  extending  width  of  pulley. 


used  where  feasible.  If  the  wheels  are  solid  and  the 
sides  smooth  (no  spokes,  bolts  or  holes),  there  is  no 
great  necessity  for  complete  enclosure  and  the  rim 
guard  is  effective.  Rim  guards  should  extend  over 
the  teetjh.  Fig.  15  shows  an  improper  form  of  rim 
guard  (not  enclosing  the  gear  teeth)  and  improper  at- 
tachment of  the  guard,  one  end  being  unsecured,  which 
not  only  affords  incomplete  protection,  but  presents 
an  additional  danger,  owing  to  the  liability  of  one's 
clothing  being  caught  on  the  loose  end  of  the  guard. 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS 


143 


Fig.  16  illustrates  the  proper  form  of  rim  guard  properly 
secured  to  machine. 

The  safeguarding  of  circular  saws  is  a  most  difficult 
problem.  There  are  a  great  many  different  types  of 
guards  for  this  purpose.  The  one  shown  in  Fig.  17 
is  believed  to  be  the  most  effective,  because  it  is  self 


FIG.  13. — Box  guard  for  gears  at  end  of  lathe,  closed  position. 

adjustable,  is  not  complicated  and  can  be  easily  and 
cheaply  constructed  by  any  good  mechanic.  The 
objection  to  most  other  forms  of  circular  saw  guards 
is  that  they  depend  partly  or  entirely  upon  the  workman 
for  adjustment,  with  the  too  frequent  result  that  he 
(especially  if  a  piece  worker  in  a  hurry)  pushes  the 


144  PREVENTION    OF 

guard  up  entirely  out  of  the  way  and  operates  the  saw 
without  any  protection.  The  part  A  is  a  strong  piece 
of  metal  of  the  same  thickness  as  the  saw,  secured  in 
position  beneath  the  table  and  of  sufficient  length  to 
permit  an  up-and-down  adjustment  to  conform  to 


FIG.  14. — Same  as  Fig.  13.  Open  position  necessary  for  reaching 

gears.    Should  be  fastened  to  machine  by  hinges  so  it 

would  close  of  its  own  accord. 

different  size  saws.  The  part  B,  attached  by  the  bolt 
at  C,  allows  the  end  of  the  guard  to  rest  on  the  table 
and  to  move  freely  upward  to  conform  to  different 
thickness  of  material  used. 

Pulleys,    flywheels   and   other    dangerous    machinery 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS 


145 


near  the  floors  should  be  protected  not  only  by  railing, 
but  by  complete  enclosure  with  solid  material  or  wire 
of  fine  mesh.  Don't  think  that  guards  are  unnecessary 
because  one  "has  no  business"  to  get  near  the  par- 


FIG.  15. — Improper  form  of  rim  guard  for  gear  wheels. 

ticular  part  of  the  machine  to  be  guarded.  We  are 
compelled  to  protect  the  careless  as  well  as  the  careful 
man.  The  device,  which  is  "fool  proof,"  is  the  most 
effective.  < 

Guards  for  emery  wheels  should  be  made  of  strong 


146 


PREVENTION    OF 


metal  (preferably  boiler  plate)  so  as  to  retain  pieces 
if  wheel  should  break.  The  guard  should  completely 
enclose  wheel  (sides  and  rim)  except  necessary  grinding 
surface,  hinges  being  provided  when  necessary  to 


^  ^ 


FIG.  16. — Proper  form  of  rim  guard  for  gear  wheels. 

remove  guard.     Large  wheels  should  be  provided  with 
exhaust  for  sparks  and  dust. 

It  is  very  important  that  the  rests  be  kept  in  proper 
position.  Experience  shows  that  the  breaking  of  emery 
wheels  is  frequently  caused  by  the  rest  being  too  far 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS 


147 


FIG.  17. — A  good  guard  for  circular  saws. 


B 


FIG.  18. — Proper  and  improper  adjustment  of  rest  to  wheel  and 
proper  and  improper  size  of  flanges  (see  text).* 


*Figs.  18  and  19  are  drawings  from  exhibits  at  the  American  Museum 
of  Safety,  No,  29  West  39th  Street,  New  York  City. 


148 


PREVENTION    OF 


from  wheel,  thus  allowing  material  to  become  wedged 
between  rest  and  wheel. 

In  Fig.  18,  A  A   shows  proper  adjustment  of  rest  to 
wheel.     BB  improper  adjustment.     Flanges  for  emery 


FIG.  19. — Ladder  with  shoes  of  basswood  to  prevent  slipping  on 

smooth  floor.     A,  metal  plate;  B,  bolts;  C,  metal  strip 

around  end  of  ladder. 


wheels  should  be  concave — never  flat  or  convex — and 
of  from  one-third  to  one-half  the  diameter  of  the  wheel 
to  which  applied.  C  shows  proper  and  D  improper 
size  of  flanges. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  140 

In  Fig.  19  is  shown  a  safety  ladder  intended  for  use 
on  cement  floor  or  other  floor  where  "spuds"  are  not 
applicable  or  permissible.  The  "shoes"  are  made 
of  basswood  which  does  not  readily  slip  on  cement  or 
other  smooth  floor. 

When  safety  devices  are  provided  the  men  should 
be  compelled  to  use  them.  The  man  who  deliberately 
refuses  or  persistently  neglects  to  use  a  proper  safe- 
guard provided  for  his  own  protection  shows  a  reck- 
less disregard  for  the  safety  of  himself  and  his  fellow- 
workmen,  which,  if  it  does  not  in  his  particular  case 
result  directly  in  injury  to  some  one,  furnishes  to  all 
the  men  in  the  shop  an  impressive  and  baneful  example 
of  indifference,  even  contempt,  for  safety  regulations. 


Warning  Signs  and  Symbols  for  Shop  Dangers. 


In  some  shops  guards  are  painted  red.  This  should 
not  be  done  to  indicate  danger,  because  if  the  guards 
have  been  properly  designed  and  applied,  there  should 
be  no  danger.  If  this  practice  has  any  merit  at  all, 
which  is  questionable,  it  merely  serves  to  render  the 
guards  conspicuous,  thus,  perhaps,  enabling  the  fore- 
man, in  passing  through  the  shop,  easily  to  observe 
any  guard  out  of  its  proper  position.  But  we  hesitate 
to  believe  that  there  is  in  any  shop  such  an  adverse 
sentiment  toward  safety  guards  as  to  make  precautions 
of  this  nature  necessary.  It  is  not  advisable  to  apply 
a  special  color  to  the  guards,  but  to  use  such  indication, 


150  PREVENTION   OF 

or  some  sign  or  symbol,  only  upon  those  parts  of  machines 
or  at  those  places  in  the  shop  which,  by  reason  of  con- 
struction or  environment,  cannot  be  made  entirely 
safe  by  guards. 

A  printed  sign,  as  a  means  of  calling  attention  to  dan- 
ger, is  very  unsatisfactory.    It  requires  too  much  space, 


FIG.  20.  —  Railing  around  transfer  pit  separating  it  from  walk- 
way used  by  employes. 


takes  time  to  read  (which  some  workmen  cannot  do), 
and  to  reach  all  employes  in  the  average  large  shop 
must  be  in  many  languages.  What  is  needed  is  some 
simple  distinctive  and  suggestive  symbol,  adaptable 
for  use  at  all  places  and  under  all  conditions,  which, 
at  a  glance,  will  convey  to  all  men  a  sense  of  danger 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS 


151 


of  personal  injury.  Unfortunately,  there  seems  to  be 
no  such  symbol  which  has  not  already  been  so  appro- 
priated for  other  purposes  as  to  have  its  meaning  almost 
entirely  restricted  to  its  present  application.  The 


STOP  THIS  MACHINE 

BEFORE  REPAIRING 

OILING  OR  WIPING 


FIG.  21. — Sign,  actual  size,  made  of  metal  with  red  enamel 
face,  letters  white,  and  attached  to  machine  by  screws. 

skull  and  cross  bones,  besides  being  difficult  to  execute, 
is  too  grewsome.  The  red  cross  is  not  available.  The 
red  flag  is  objectionable.  Whatever  symbol  is  selected — 
if  ever  any  should  be — will,  of  course,  by  use  acquire 


152  PREVENTION    OF 

the  proper  significance  and  become  as  peculiarly  suited 
for  the  purpose  as  other  symbols  of  long  application. 
It  is  not,  therefore,  of  vital  importance  what  is  adopted, 
provided  it  conveys  an  impression  of  danger  and  can 
be  designed  and  produced  with  little  expenditure  of 
time  or  skill.  Care  should  be  taken  in  the  use  of  warn- 
ing signs  or  symbols  to  apply  them  only  where  there  is 
a  real  danger,  which  cannot  be  overcome  by  safety 
guards.  Their  promiscuous  and  general  application  nulli- 
fies their  effect. 


Uses  and  Limitations  of  Safety  Devices. 


In  any  systematic  plan  for  accident  prevention  it 
should  be  kept  in  mind  that  while  safety  devices  are 
necessary  and  important  they  afford  the  means  of 
preventing  only  a  small  percentage  of  accidents.  Im- 
portant as  these  devices  are,  we  believe  that  in  the  public 
mind  too  much  has  been  expected  from  their  use.  A 
study  of  the  theory — aside  from  the  practice  of  accident 
prevention — leads  to  this  conclusion.  If  all  men,  at 
all  times,  were  as  careful  and  prudent  as  they  could 
be,  and,  in  theory,  should  be,  there  would  be  little  need 
for  safety  devices;  the  necessity  for  such  devices  is 
in  inverse  ratio  to  the  careful  and  prudent  habits  of 
those  by  whom  the  devices  are  to  be  used.  Indeed, 
there  is  in  theory  this  objection  to  safety  devices,  that 
they  tend  to  eliminate  the  necessity  for  personal  thought 
and  alertness.  In  other  words,  if  it  were  possible  to 


RAILROAD  ACCIDENTS 


153 

§o   • 
+>  tc 

fts*® 

||| 

ftrS     03 


33 


. 


lf>4  PREVENTION   OP 

so  cultivate  the  human  element  in  our  shops,  yards  and 
on  our  tracks,  without  reduction  of  output  or  other 
detriment,  that  accidents  would,  because  of  such  acquired 
prudence  of  the  employe,  be  thereby  generally  pre- 
vented, this  method  would  be  preferable  to  the  use 
of  safety  devices.  But  as  we  cannot  improve  the  human 
element  to  this  ideal  extent,  we  use  safety  devices  to 
accomplish  the  purpose. 

They  are  at  best  but  "devices"  and  their  effective- 
ness for  safety  depends  upon  the  intelligence  and  willing- 
ness with  which  they  are  applied  and  used. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  155 


GOOD  ADVICE  TO  ENQINEMEN  AND  FIREMEN 

(Take  Notice,   Prevent   Injury,  and   Keep  Out 
of  Trouble.) 


Do  your  visiting  before  you  leave  the  engine  house. 


Even  if  you  do  "make  it,"  "skin  time"  is  poor 
clearance  and  risky  business. 


Don't  depend  too  much  upon  the  water  glass. 
Try  gauge  cocks. 

Don't   be  afraid   to   blow  the  whistle  and  ring 
the  bell.     That's   what   they  are   there   for. 


Take  the  signals  given  you.     The  men  on  the 
ground  can  see  better  than  you  can  from  the  cab. 


Never  start  engine  without  first  ringing  bell. 
Many  serious  injuries  have  resulted  from  failure 
to  do  this. 


156  PREVENTION    OF 

The  Book  of  Rules  says,  "READ  ALOUD  AND 
COMPARE  YOUR  TRAIN  ORDERS."  This  means 
just  exactly  what  it  says. 


"Spotting"  engines  of  trains,  at  water  plugs, 
while  passengers  are  getting  on  and  off,  is  liable  to 
cause  injury.  DON'T  DO  IT. 


Don't  fail  to  shove  coal  aprons  and  water  plugs 
back  into  proper  position  when  through  using 
them.  Think  about  the  other  fellow. 


If  you  must  go  under  the  engine,  "hook  her  up 
on  center,"  open  cylinder  cocks,  and  block  one  or 
more  "drivers."  The  other  man  may  forget. 


Give  ample  warning  to  persons  on  tracks, 
especially  if  they  are  on  bridges  or  other  places 
where  they  cannot  readily  protect  themselves. 


When  running  "extra,"  sound  whistle  approach- 
ing curves,  where  view  is  obstructed,  to  warn  track= 
men.  It  .requires  no  effort  on  your  part,  and  it 
means  safety  to  men  who  may  have  no  other  means 
of  protection. 


EAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  157 

The  Book  of  Rules  says  a  signal  imperfectly 
displayed,  or  the  absence  of  a  signal  at  a  place 
where  a  signal  is  usually  shown,  must  be  regarded 
as  a  STOP  SIGNAL  and  the  fact  reported  to  the 
superintendent.  Many  accidents  have  resulted 
from  failure  to  do  what  this  rule  says.  The  com= 
pany  doesn't  want  chances  taken.  What  right 
have  you  to  take  them? 


VALUABLE  REMINDERS  TO  TRAIN  AND  YARD 

MEN. 


The  safe  course  is  the  best. 


Don't  try  to  open  knuckles  as  cars  are  about  to 
come  together. 


It  takes  less  time  to  explain  why  you  were  late 
than  to  make  out  an  accident  report. 


Never  go  under  your  train  without  being  sure 
your  engineman  knows  where  you  are. 


An  elderly  or  feeble  person  needs  and  is  entitled 
to  special  attention,  particularly  in  getting  on  and 
off  trains. 


When  using  stepping  box,  always  say  to  pas- 
sengers,  "Watch  your  step."  It  may  prevent 
serious  injury. 


159 


160  PREVENTION    OF 

Study  your  schedule,  but  don't  forget  that  the 
Book  of  Rules  contains  some  mighty  important 
reading  matter. 


Have  you  ever  wished  to  be  as  well  posted  on 
train  operation  as  the  Superintendent?  The  Book 
of  Rules  was  his  teacher. 


Trainmen  sometimes  kick  or  otherwise  move 
stepping  box  as  passengers  are  about  to  step  upon 
it.  This  should  not  be  done. 


When  necessary  to  go  back  flagging,  remem- 
ber  the  lives  of  many  persons  are  dependent  upon 
you.  You  are  paid  "to  go  back,"  and  THERE  IS 
NO  EXCUSE  FOR  NOT  GOING.  Be  sure  you  go 
far  enough. 


Be  sure  to  warn  teamsters  and  others  working 
in  and  about  cars,  before  coupling  to  or  moving 
cars.  Men  who  are  working  in  cars  often  want 
to  remain  inside  while  cars  are  being  moved. 
Don't  allow  this. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  161 

Report  all  defects  in  equipment.     It's  then  up     | 
to   the  other  fellow  to   make  necessary  repairs./^ 
If  an  accident  happens,  it  won't  be  your  fault. 


The  conductor  is  in  charge  of  the  train.  Let 
him  and  his  men  understand  that.  A  good  con= 
ductor  sees  that  his  men  attend  to  business. 


Don't  get  careless  in  walking  through  yards. 
Many  experienced  trainmen  are  run  over  by  trains. 
You  may  be  the  next  one,  if  you  don't  use  your 
eyes  and  ears  when  on  or  about  tracks. 


When  you  find  a  highway  alarm  bell  out  of  order, 
ticklers  in  bad  condition,  or  anything  that  needs 
prompt  attention  to  prevent  accidents,  make  a 
report  of  it  to  the  proper  person.  You  may  save 
some  one's  life. 


When  flagging,  don't  stand  near  gang  of  men  at 
work  on  track.  The  engineer,  not  being  able 
to  see  the  track  beyond  the  men,  may  mistake 
the  reason  of  the  signal  and  make  a  violent  and 
unnecessary  application  of  the  air. 


162  PREVENTION   OF 

Don't  place  torpedoes  near  where  trackmen 
are  working,  if  it  can  reasonably  be  avoided,  and 
when  necessary  to  do  so,  notify  the  men.  Don't 
place  them  very  near  highway  crossings.  Pieces 
of  exploding  torpedoes  are  thrown  a  considerable 
distance,  and  often  cause  injuries  by  striking 
persons. 


Don't  go  between  moving  cars,  or  engine  and 
car  for  ANY  PURPOSE  WHATEVER.  The  usual 
reason  for  going  between  moving  cars  is  to  turn 
the  angle  cock,  or  lift  pin,  when  the  lever  does 
not  work.  Wait  until  cars  stop.  The  few  seconds 
time  required  is  a  good  investment.  Many  per= 
sons  are  injured  and  killed  every  year  by  failure 
to  heed  this  caution. 


RAILKOAD   ACCIDENTS  163 


MEMORY  GEMS   FOR  SHOP  MEN. 
(Read  Carefully,  Remember,  and  Follow.) 


Never  try  to  shift  a  moving  belt  by  hand. 

4***** 
Don't  fool  with  electricity.     It  is  dangerous. 


Don't  wear  loose,   baggy  clothing  where  it  is 
liable  to  be  caught  in  machinery. 


Avoid   walking  on   railroad   tracks   and    before 
crossing  ANY  TRACK,  "Stop,  look,  and  listen." 


Be  sure  you  replace  all  guards  when  through 
repairing  machine.    Think  about  the  other  fellow. 


It  is  your  duty,  as  well  as  your  protection,  to 
report  unsafe  conditions  to  your  foreman  or  super- 
intendent. 


164  PREVENTION    OF 

A  guard  is  placed  on  a  machine  solely  for  your 
protection.  Don't  operate  the  machine  without 
guard  in  place. 


Stop  machine  before  oiling,  wiping,  or  repair= 
ing  it,  and  don't  try  to  operate  a  machine  you  do 
not  understand. 


Don't  swing  sledge  or  hammer  that  you  know 
is  working  loose  on  handle*  thinking  it  won't 
come  off  till  "next  time."  You  may  not  be  hurt, 
but  what  about  "the  other  fellow"? 


Don't  expect  your  helper  to  be  as  good  a  mechanic 
as  you  are.  He  isn't,  or  he  wouldn't  be  a  helper. 
A  little  explanation  as  to  the  way  the  work  is  to 
be  done  may  save  injury  to  one  or  both  of  you. 


If  you  know  of  some  machine  not  properly 
guarded,  don't  wait  till  some  one  gets  hurt  and  say, 
"I  told  you  so."  Tell  man  in  charge  of  the  shop 
before  an  accident  happens,  and  ask  him  to  supply 
proper  guard. 


RAILROAD    ACCIDENTS  105 

Avoid  jumping  upon  moving  cars  or  engines. 
Your  work  does  not  require  it,  and  you  cannot 
afford  to  take  the  risk. 


Never  strike  tempered  steel  with  hammer  or 
other  metal  object.  Many  eyes  are  injured  or 
destroyed  from  this  cause  every  year. 


IMPORTANT    THINGS     FOR     TRACKMEN     TO 
REMEMBER   AND  TO   COMPLY   WITH. 


Watch  out  for  trains.    Don't  depend  on  the  other 
fellow. 


On  double=track  move  always  against  the  cur= 
rent  of  traffic. 


Don't  operate  hand  car  or  other  track  vehicle 
at  night  without  proper  light. 


Don't    operate    hand    cars    without    one    man 
facing  forward  and  one  backward. 


Keep  frogs,  switches,  and  guard  rails  properly 
blocked.     This  as  very  important. 


See  that  spike  mauls  are  not  loose  on  handles, 
They   may  fly  off  and   injure  or  kill  some  one. 


167 


168  PREVENTION    OF 

Don't  jump  on  or  off  moving  cars  or  engines. 
It's  dangerous,  and  your  work  does  not  require  it. 


H    H     H     H    H 


See  that  material  is  kept  a  safe  distance  from 
track,  where  men  on  side  of  cars  will  not  be  struck 
by  it. 


Always  bend  nails  down  before  throwing  boards 
aside.  Many  serious  injuries  result  in  stepping 
on  protruding  nails. 


Keep  torpedoes,  when  not  in  use,  in  safe  place 
under  lock.  Small  children  are  often  injured  by 
exploding  torpedoes  they  find  on  or  near  the  right 
of  way. 


Drawbars,  springs,  brake  shoes,  lumps  of  coal, 
and  similar  litter  should  be  kept  cleaned  up  from 
yards  where  trainmen  are  liable  to  stumble  over 
them.  Very  serious  accidents  happen  from  this 
cause.  Don't  wait  till  regular  "cleaning=up 
time"  to  pick  this  stuff  up.  Pick  it  up  or  throw 
it  aside  in  a  safe  place  each  day  as  you  are  passing 
back  and  forth  through  the  yard. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  161) 

In  operating  car  around  sharp  curves,  where 
view  is  obstructed,  stop  and  listen  for  trains. 
If  a  long  curve,  better  send  one  man  ahead  as 
"lookout."  Trains  are  liable  to  run  at  any  time 
in  either  direction. 


Do  the  best  you  can  to  keep  clear  of  trains, 
but  if  you  are  about  to  be  caught  by  train,  don't 
risk  your  life  trying  to  save  a  hand  car.  Every 
once  in  a  while  some  one  is  killed  or  seriously 
injured  in  this  way. 


Look  in  both  directions  before  stepping  upon 
any  track,  especially  in  yards.  Be  particularly 
careful  when  crossing  track  near  cars  or  engines, 
and  when  about  to  step  from  the  track  contain- 
ing same  upon  another  nearby  track. 


POINTERS  FOR  AGENTS  AND  STATIONMEN. 

(Recommended  for  Everybody's  Safety  and  your 
Own  Promotion.) 


See  that  steps  and  platforms  are  kept  free  from 
snow  and  ice. 


Don't  try  to  take  train  orders  and  answer  ques= 
tions  at  the  same  time. 


Keep  roof  of  station  clear  from  icicles,  which 
often  fall  and  cause  injuries. 


When  moving  baggage  truck,  where  passengers 
are  liable  to  be,  always  PULL  truck.  Do  not 
push  it. 


Never  leave  baggage  or  express  truck  on  plat= 
form  with  the  tongue  lying  down.  Fasten  tongue 
up  and  put  truck  in  safe  place.  Block  the  wheels 
of  trucks  when  not  in  use. 

171 


172  PREVENTION    OF 

Keep  your  hand  signal  appliances  handy  and  in 
good  condition.  When  you  need  them,  you  need 
them  QUICKLY. 


Keep  platforms  and  station  premises  clear  of 
obstructions  (freight,  express,  etc.)  which  passen= 
gers  might  stumble  over. 


See  that  your  station  lights  are  kept  clean; 
that  they  are  lighted  at  the  proper  time,  and 
kept  burning  brightly  at  all  times  when  necessary. 

ooc^ooo 

See  that  your  gang  planks  are  in  good  condi= 
tion  and  properly  placed  and  secured.  Men  are 
frequently  injured  by  gang  planks  slipping,  allow= 
ing  them  to  fall  or  freight  to  fall  upon  them. 


Report  promptly  to  proper  person  every  defective 
condition  around  your  station  which  might 
cause  injury,  such  as  hole  or  loose  board  in  plat- 
form, broken  or  missing  railings,  steps,  etc.  Pro- 
tect these  conditions  as  best  you  can  till  they  are 
remedied,  and  get  them  remedied  at  the  earliest 
possible  date. 


RAILROAD   ACCIDENTS  173 

Patrons  frequently  pile  coal,  lumber,  sand  and 
other  material  so  near  the  tracks  that  trainmen 
are  liable  to  strike  it  while  riding  on  the  side  of 
cars  or  to  stumble  and  fall  under  cars  while  walk= 
ing  on  the  ground.  Coal  and  sand  piles  slanting 
down  to  the  rail  are  especially  dangerous,  as 
one  in  falling,  is  very  likely  to  roll  under  the  cars. 
Explain  to  patrons  the  danger  of  these  obstruc= 
tions  and  get  them  to  keep  the  space  clear  for  a 
distance  of  at  least  seven  feet  from  the  center  of 
sidings.  You  will  find  in  many  cases  that  patrons 
have  not  thought  of  the  danger,  and  that  they 
will  be  willing  to  comply  with  your  requests. 


IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIM 

II ' 11 

PRACTICAL 



11 
RAILROAD   BOOKS 


RELATING    TO 


= 


Air  Brakes  —  Accidents  —  Boilers  - 
Breakdowns  --  Combustion  —  Link  |[ 
Motion—  Locomotives—  Train  Rules,  [I 
Walschaert  Valve  Gears,  Etc. 

I 

Published  By 

1  1     THE  NORMAN  W.  HENLEY  PUBLISHING  CO. 
132    NASSAU   STREET 
NEW  YORK 

1  1 

I 
I 


REVISED  POCKET  EDITION 


LOCOMOTIVE  BREAKDOWNS 
AND  THEIR  REMEDIES 

By  CEO.  L.  FOWLER,  revised  by  WM  W.  WOOD,  Air  Brake  Instructor 
270  Pages  PRICE  $1.00      Fully  Illustrated 

ENGINEERS  are  paid  nowadays  for  getting  their 
engines  into  the  terminal  on  time,  and  to  accom- 
plish this  there  must  be  no  casualties  EN  ROUTE  that 
will  cause  delay  ;  accidents,  however,  will  happen,  and 
it  is  the  knowledge  of  HOW  TO  AVOID  DELAY  IN 
CASE  OF  ACCIDENTS  that  the  Company  requires  of 
engineers  nowadays,  and  what  to  do  in  case  of  break- 
downs. The  revised  pocket  edition  of  "Locomotive 
Brakedowns ' '  is  absolutely  necessary  to  every  engineer, 
fireman,  and  shop  man,  because  it  treats  of  every 
possible  engine  trouble,  and  presents  the  remedy,  in 
the  form  of  questions  and  answers.  Just  imagine  all 
the  common  troubles  that  an  engineer  may  expect  to 
happen  sometime,  and_then  add  all  of  the  unexpected 
ones,  troubles  that  could  occur,  but  that  you  had  never 
thought  about,  and  you  will  find  that  they  are  all  here, 
in  this  Up-to-Date  Edition  of  "Breakdowns, "  with^the 
very  best  methods  of  repair. 

CONTENTS 


I.— Defective  Valves;  II.— Accidents  to  the  Valve  Motion; 
III.— Accidents  to  Cylinders,  Steam  Chests,  Cylinders  and  Pistons; 
IV.  -Accidents  to  Guides,  Crossheads  and  Rods  ;  V,  -The  Walschaert 
Valve  Motion  ;  The  Baker- Pillord  Improved  Valve  Gear  ;  Accidents 
that  May  Happen  to  these  Gears ;  VI.— Accidents  to  Running  Gears ; 
VII.  -Truck  and  Frame  Accidents ;  VIII.-  Boiler  Troubles  ;  IX.— 
Defective  Throttle  and  Steam  Connections;  X.— Defective  Draft 
App'iances;  XL— Pump  and  Injector  Troubles  ;  XII.— Accidents  to 
Cab  Fixtures;  XIII.— Tender  Accidents;  XIV.— Miscellaneous 
Accidents:  XV.— Compound  Locomotive  Accidents;  XVI.— Tools 
a,:d  Appliances  for  Making  Engine  Repairs;  XVII.- Air  Brake 
Troubles; -XVIII.— The  Pyle-National  Electric  Headlight. 


JUST  OFF  THE  PRESS.  POCKET  EDITION. 


TRAIN  RULE  EXAMINATIONS 
MADE  EASY 

By  G.  E.  COLLINGWOOD 

256  Pages  —Fully  Illustrated  DDIOC* 

with  Train  Signals  in  colors  *  KICt 


THIS  is  a  book  which  every  railroad  man,  no  matter 
what  department  he  is  in,  should  have,  as  it  is 
written  by  a  man  who  understands  the  subject  thor- 
oughly. Mr.  G.  E.  Collingwood,  the  author,  is  a 
recognized  authority  on  train  rules  and  train  orders. 
For  years  he  has  edited  the  train  rule  department  in 
four  of  the  foremost  railroad  magazines  in  the  United 
States.  If  you  want  to  thoroughly  understand  the 
subject  get  a  copy  of  this  book,  as  every  detail  is 
covered,  and  puzzling  points  are  explained  in  simple, 
comprehensive  language.  .This  book  is  the  only 
practical  work  on  train  rules  in  print. 

Contains  complete  and  reliable  information  of  the 
Standard  Code  of  Train  Rules  for  single  track.  Shows 
Signals  in  Colors,  as  used  on  the  different  roads. 
Explains  fully  the  practical  application  of  train  orders, 
giving  a  clear  and  definite  understanding  of  all  orders 
which  may  be  used.  The  meaning  and  necessity  for 
certain  rules  is  explained  in  such  a  manner  that  the 
student  may  know  beyond  a  doubt  the  rights  conferred 
under  any  orders  he  may  receive  or  the  action  required 
by  certain  rules. 

Nearly  500  Questions  with  their  Answers  are  Included 
AMONG  THE  SUBJECTS  TREATED  ARE 

The  American  Railway  Association  ;  Standard  Time  ;  Dividing 
points  between  the  Time  Sections  ;  Personal  Admonition  ;  Defin- 
itions of  Terms  used;  Time-Tables;  Signals;  Use  of  Signals; 
Superiority  of  Trains  ;  Movement  of  Trains  ;  Train  Orders  ;  Forms 
of  Orders;  Combinations  of  Orders;  Clearance  Cards;  Train 
Identification;  Examination  Questions;  Answers  to  Examination 
Questions;  Standard  Code  of  Train  Rules  for  Single  Track; 
Diagrams  of  Hand,  Flag  and  Lamp  Signals  in  Colors,  etc. 


A_NEW  REVISED  EDITION.    JUST  PUBLISHED. 

UP-TO-DATE 

AIR-BRAKE  CATECHISM 

By  ROBERT  H.  BLACKALL 

Pocket  Size  Pri**«»    %9  flfl         Fully  Illustrated 

384  Pages.  "Ce»  «P^'U"         With  Colored  Plates. 


IS  is  the  standard  book  on  the  Air  Brake,  written  by  one  of  the 
most  widely  known  Air  Brake  Men  in  the  United  States,  Canada 
and  Mexico.    It  is  a  practical  and  complete  study  of  the  air 
brake,  including  the  E-T  Locomotive  Brake  Equipment,  the  K  (Quick 
Service)  Triple  Valve  for  Freight  Service,  the  Type  L  High-Speed 
Triple  Valve,  and  the  Cross  Compound  Compressor.   The  operation  of 
all  parts  of  the  apparatus  is  explained  in  detail  and  a  practical  way 
of  locating  their  peculiarities  and  remedying  their  defects  is  given. 

If  you  are  preparing  for  an  examination,  you  should  secure  a  copy 
of  this  book  at  once,  as  it  contains  over 

2,000  QUESTIONS  WITH  THEIR  ANSWERS 

This  is  the  only  book  which  has  been  endorsed  and  used  by  Air 
Brake  Instructors  and  Examiners  on  the  different  roads  throughout 
the  United  States. 

CONTAINING  CHAPTERS  ON 

I.-BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  AIR  BRAKE. 
II.—  THE  WESTINGHOUSE  TRIPLE  VALVES. 
III.—  WESTINGHOUSE  FREIGHT  EQUIPMENT. 
IV.—  WESTINGHOUSE  AIR  PUMPS. 
V.—  MAIN  RESERVOIR. 

VI.—  WESTINGHOUSE  OLD-STYLE  HIGH-SPEED  BRAKE 
VII.—  NO.  6  E-T  LOCOMOTIVE  BRAKE  EQUIPMENT. 
VIII.—  AIR  SIGNAL  SYSTEM. 
IX.—  BRAKING  POWER  AND  LEVERAGE. 
X.—  THE  SWEENEY  COMPRESSOR. 
XI.—  TRAIN  INSPECTION. 

XII.-FORMULAE  AND  RULES   FOR   AIR    BRAKE    IN- 
SPECTORS. 


REMEMBER    THAT    THIS    BOOK    GIVES    FULL    AND 

LATEST  INFORMATION  ON  THE  OLD  AS  WELL 

AS  THE  LATEST  AIR  BRAKE  EQUIPMENT 


JUST    PUBLISHED  NEW  POCKET  EDITION 

WESTINGHOUSE  E-T  AIR  BRAKE 
INSTRUCTION  POCKET  BOOK 

By  WM.  W.  WOOD,  Air  Brake  Instructor 

PRICE  $1.50 

CONTAINS  examination  questions  and  answers  on 
V^  the  E-T  equipment.  Covering  what  the  E-T 
Brake  IS.  How  it  should  be  OPERATED.  What  to 
do  when  DEFECTIVE.  Not  a  question  can  be  asked 
of  the  ENGINEMAN  UP  FOR  PROMOTION  on  either 
the  No.  5  or  the  No.  6  E-T  equipment  that  is  not 
asked  and  ANSWERED  in  the  book.  If  you  want  to 
thoroughly  understand  the  E-T  equipment  get  a  copy 
of  this  book.  It  covers  every  detail.  Makes  Air  Brake 
troubles  and  examinations  easy. 

AMONG  THE  CONTENTS  OF  THIS  BOOK  ARE; 

The  No.  6  E-T  Equipment— the  Valve— the  Piping— the  Gauges. 
The  theory  of  the  Triple  Valve,  and  its  principle  in  application  to  the 
E-T  Locomotive  Brake.  The  Distributing  Valve— Colored  Charts 
showing  each  and  every  phase  of  its  action  accompanied  by  Colored 
Piping  Diagrams  indicating  the  contained  pressures.  Theory  of  the 
Quick- Action  Triple  Valves,  its  Importance— its  Principle  in  Appli- 
cation to  the  Quick- Action  Distributing  Valve  of  the  No.  6  type.  The 
E-6  Safety  Valve.  The  H-6  Automatic  Brake  Valve— theory  and 
principle  of  the  automatically  acting  brake-pipe  pressure  Equalizing 
Discharge  Valve- Construction  of  the  H-6  Brake  Valve.  Trans- 
parency Plates  in  Color  Tints  showing  the  Rotary  Valve,  and  through 
it  the  Rotary  Valve  Seat,  Ports,  etc.,  in  each  Operative  position  of  the 
Brake  Valve  Handle.  The  S-6  Independent  Brake  Valve— Its  Con- 
struction. Transparency  Plates  similar  to  those  of  the  H-6  Brake 
Valve,  showing  the  arrangement  of  Ports  in  Rotary  Valve  and  Seat 
in  each  position.  The  Double-Pressure,  B-6  Feed  Valve.  The 
Duplex  automatically  controlled  Excess  and  Maximum  Pressure 
Pump  Governor.  The  C-6  Reducing  Valve.  The  "Dead  Engine 
Feature"  of  the  No.  6  E-T  Equipment.  Combined  Air  Strainer  and 
Check  Valve— its  application  to  the  Train  Air  Signal  System. 

Operation  of  the  No.  6  E-T  Locomotive  Brake— Freight  Service- 
Passenger  Service— Switching  Service— General  Braking  Service- 
Grade  Work,  etc.  Reporting  Work  on  the  No.  6  Equipment.  Testing 
the  Equipment.  Leaking  or  Broken  Pipes  of  No.  6  Equipment. 

The  No.  5  E-T  Locomotive  Brake  Equipment— Its  distinctive 
features  as  compared  with  the  No.  6  Type — Its  Operation— Leaking 
or  Broken  Pipes  in  the  No.  6  Equipment. 

Filled  with  Colored  Plates -Showing  various  Pressures 


JUST   PUBLISHED! 

PRACTICAL  INSTRUCTOR 
AND  REFERENCE  BOOK  FOR 

LOCOMOTIVE  FIREMEN  AND  ENGINEERS 

By  CHARLES  F.  LOCKHART 
368  Pages.  PRICE,  $1.50       88  Illustrations. 

•"THIS  book  treats  in  a  thorough  manner  of  the 
*•  rail  road  man's  duties  and  how  to  properly  per- 
form them.  It  also  contains  practical  information  on : 
The  Construction  and  Operation  of  Locomotives; 
Breakdowns  and  Their  Remedies;  Air  Brakes  and  Valve 
Gears.  Rules  and  Signals  are  handled  in  a  thorough 
manner.  As  a  book  of  reference  it  cannot  be  excelled. 
An  entirely  new  book  on  the  Locomotive.  It 
appeals  to  every  rail  road  man,  as  it  tells  him  how 
things  are  done  and  the  right  way  to  do  them.  Written 
by  a  man  who  has  had  years  of  practical  experience 
in  locomotive  shops  and  on  the  road  firing  and  running. 
The  information  given  in  this  book  cannot  be  found  in 
any  other  similar  treatise.  Eight  hundred  and  fifty-one 
questions  with  their  answers  are  included  which  will 
prove  specially  helpful  to  those  preparing  for  ex- 
amination. 

THE  BOOK  IS  DIVIDED  INTO  SIX  PARTS.  AS  FOLLOWS; 

Part  I.— THE  FIREMAN'S  DUTIES. 

Part  II.-GENERAL  DESCRIPTION  of  the  LOCOMOTIVE. 

Part  III.— BREAKDOWNS  AND  THEIR  REMEDIES. 

Part  IV.— AIR  BRAKES. 

Part  V.— EXTRACTS  FROM  STANDARD  RULES. 

Part  VI.— QUESTIONS  FOR  EXAMINATION. 


THE    WALSCHAERT 
LOCOMOTIVE 


By 
WM.  W.  WOOD       _rl      ¥     x  7  T^         S*  T*     1    T\ 

Air-Brakelnslructor        VALVE          GEAR 

NEARLY  200  PAGBB  PrW    $1   5O 

FULLY  ILLUSTRATED  *  rice   «p  i  »*j\J 

THIS  BOOK  IS  COMPOSED  OF  FOUR  GENERAL  DIVISIONS 

THE  Firs*  Division  explains  and  anaylzes  the  Walschaert  valve 
gear  by  a  simple,  fully  illustrated  kindergarten  method  show- 
ing the  setting  up  the  gear  piece  by  piece,  with  the  common 
philosophy  of  the  action  of  each  individual  part.  There  are  no 
algebraical  formulae  in  this  Division— just  plain  talk. 

The  Second  Division  contains  diagrams  and  formulae  that  will 
enable  any  machine  shop  foreman  to  design  and  lay  out  the  Walsch- 
aert valve  gear  for  any  locomotive,  with  hints  on  inspection  of  the 
gear  and  rules  for  setting  the  valves.  Here  are  two  diagrams,  in 
particular,  on  folding  sheets,  that  show  the  position  of  the  valve, 
link,  and  all  other  parts  of  the  gear,  when  the  main  crank  pin  is  at 
nine  different  points  in  its  revolution — both  with  the  outside  admission 
D-slide  valve  and  the  piston  valve  of  inside  admission.  Separate 
cardboard  models  of  these  two  valves  to  be  used  in  connection  with  the 
diagrams  are  contained  in  a  pocket  in  the  book,  and  these  two 
diagrams  and  valve  models,  alone,  are  worth  more  than  the  price  of 
the  book  to  any  master  mechanic,  shop  foreman,  machinist,  engineer, 
or  fireman. 

The  Third  Division  has  to  it  with  the  actual  work  of  the 
Walschaert  valve  gear  on  the  road,  and  here  are  disclosed  the  advan- 
tages obtained  from  its  use  and  the  reasons  why  it  is  superior  to  the 
common  double  eccentric  link  motion. 

The  Fourth  Division  could  be  used  as  a  text  book  by  itself.  It  is 
composed  entirely  of  Questions  and  Answers  on  the  Walschaert 
Valve  Gear,  which  form  a  condensed,  but  complete,  set  of  instruc- 
tion—not only  descriptive  of  the  valve  gear,  etc.,  but  these  questions 
and  answers  also  refer  to  all  of  the  common  breakdowns  on  the  road 
that  may  happen  to  a  locomotive  equipped  with  the  Walschaert 
motion ;  and  this  division  is  representative  of  the  whole  book ;  the 
matter  is  so  plainly  written,  and  complete,  that  this  last  division  of 
the  work  will  enable  any  engineman  to  pass  any  examination  on 
valve  motion,  or  the  Walschaert  Gear. 

The  book  is  fully  illustrated,  and  a  novel  and  interesting  feature 
of  the  book  is  the  folding  diagrams  with  cardboard  valve  models,  by 
moans  of  which  the  actual  operation  of  the  valve  under  th«t 
influence  of  the  Walschaert  motion  can  be  studied. 


LOCOMOTIVE 
BOILER  CONSTRUCTION 

By  FRANK  A.  KLEINHANS 

421  Pages  PPirT     fc**  fin  Five  FoMing 

350  Illustrations  flU^t,    *3.UU  plateg 

THIS  IS  ONE  OF  THE  BEST  BOOKS  OF  ITS  KIND 
EVER  PUBLISHED.  IT  TAKES  THE  READER 
FROM  THE  LAYING  OUT  OF  THE  SHEETS 
TO  THE  COMPLETED  BOILER. 

'"THE  building  of  boilers  is  a  work  that  none  have 
•*•  attemped  to  describe  in  detail,  owing  to  the 
necessity  of  knowing  each  operation  thoroughly  in 
order  to  do  it  justice.  Here  is  where  this  book  differs 
from  all  others.  Each  step,  from  the  first  mark  on 
the  sheet  to  the  finished  boiler,  receives  careful  atten- 
tion in  a  thoroughly  practical  way.  Locomotive  boilers 
present  more  difficulties  in  laying  out  and  building  than 
any  other  type,  and  for  this  reason  the  author  uses 
them  as  examples.  Anyone  who  can  handle  them  can 
tackle  anything.  This  book  takes  the  locomotive  boiler 
up  in  the  order  in  which  its  various  parts  go  through 
the  shop.  Give  details  of  construction  ;  practical  facts, 
such  as  life  of  riveting,  punches  and  dies ;  work  done 
per  day,  allowance  for  bending  and  flanging  sheets, 
and  other  data. 

CONTENTS. 


LAYING  OUT  WORK. 

FLANGING  AND  FORGING,  PUNCHING,  SHEARING  and 

PLATE  PLANNING. 
BENDING. 

MACHINING  PARTS. 
BOILER  DETAILS. 
ASSEMBLING     AND     CALKIVG,      FINISHING      PARTS, 

BOILER  SHOP  MACHINERY. 
GENERAL  TABLES. 
PLATES  SHOWING  TYPES  OF  MODERN   LOCOMOTIVE 

BOILERS. 


NEW  EDITION  JUST   PUBLISHED 


LOCOMOTIVE    CATECHISM 

By  ROBERT  GR1MSHAW,  M.  E. 
825  Pages  437  Illustrations  and  Three  Folding  Plates 

PRICE  $2.50 

THIS  book  commends  itself  an  once  to  every  Engineer 
and  Fireman,  and  to  all  who  are  going  in  for 
examination,  or  promotion. 

In  plain  language,  with  full,  complete  answers, 
not  only  all  the  questions  asked  by  the  examining 
engineer  are  given,  but  those  which  the  young  and  less 
experienced  would  ask  the  veteran,  and  which  old 
hands  ask  as  "stickers." 

It  is  a  veritable  Encyclopaedia  of  the  Locomotive, 
is  entirely  free  from  mathematics,  and  thoroughly  up-to- 
date.  Study  it  and  you  will  know  your  engine  thoroughly. 

CONTAINS  OVER  4000  EXAMINATION  QUESTIONS 
WITH  THEIR  ANSWERS. 

AMONG  SOME  OF  THESUBJECTS  TREATED  AREt 

Accidents  and  Emergencies;  Air-Brakes;  Alfree-Hubbell 
Gear ;  Allen  Gear ;  Automatic  Reducing:  Valve ;  Automatic  Slack 
Adjuster;  Auxiliary  Reservoir;  Blower;  Boilers;  Brake  Cylin- 
der; Cab;  Check  Valve;  Collisions;  Combustion;  Compound 
Locomotives;  Crosshead  and  Guides;  Cut-off  and  Expansion; 
Cylinder;  Derailment;  Eccentric  Motion ;  Eccentric  Rods ;  Elec- 
tric Headlight;  Engine  and  Tender  Brakes;  Engineman's  Tender 
Valve;  Equalizing  Bars;  Examination  of  Firemen;  Firing; 
Firing  with  Oil;  Four-Cylinder  Compounds;  Gears;  Gooch  Gear; 
Headlight;  Indicator:  Injector;  Joy  Gear;  K  Tripple  Valve; 
Knocks  and  Pounds;  Lubrication;  Piston  Valves;  "Quick- 
Action"  Brake :  Relief  Valves:  Richmond-Mell  in  Compound;  Slide 
Valve:  Slide- Valve  Feed  Valve;  Superheated  Steam;  Sweeney 
Compressor ;  Tandem  Compounds ;  Three-Cylinder  Compounds ; 
Vacuum  Brake;  Valve  Gears;  Valve  Motion  Models;  Valve 
Setting;  Walschaert  Gear ;  Young  Valve  Gear. 


AMERICAN  COMPOUND  LOCOMOTIVES 

By  FRED  H.  COLVIN 
142  Pages  PRICE,  $1.00    Fully  Illustrated 

A  BOOK  showing  every  type  and  make  of  Compound 
Locomotives  in  use  in  the  country.  Tells  in  plain 
English— How  to  Handle  Them.  How  to  Repair  Them. 
What  to  do  if  They  Break  Down.  How  to  Disconnect 
Them.  How  to  Set  Valves.  How  to  Test  for  Leaks 
and  Locate  Blows.  All  about  Piston  Valves.  Reduc- 
ing Valves.  Valve  Motion.  Lubricating,  etc. 

CONTAINS  CHAPTERS  AS  FOLLOWS  ; 

A  Bit  of  History.  Theory  of  Compounding  Steam  Cylinders. 
Baldwin  Two-Cylinder  Compound.  Pittsburg  Two-Cylinder  Com- 
pound. Rhode  Island  Compound.  Richmond  Compound.  Rogers 
Compound.  Schenectady  Two-Cylinder  Compound  Vauclain  Com- 
pound. Tandem  Compounds.  Baldwin  Tandem.  TheColvin-Wight- 
man  Tandem.  Schenectady  Tandem.  Balanced  Locomotives.  Bald- 
win Balanced  Compound.  Plans  for  Balancing.  Locating  Blows. 
Breakdowns.  Reducing  Valves.  Drifting.  Valve  Motion.  Discon- 
necting. Power  of  Compound  Locomotives.  Practical  Notes. 


CHARTS 


TRACTIVE  POWER  CHART 

A  chart  whereby  you  can  find  the  tractive  power  or 
drawbar  pull  of  any  locomotive,  without  making  a 
figure.  Shows  what  cylinders  are  equal,  how  driv- 
ing wheels  and  steam  pressure  affect  the  power. 
What  sized  engine  you  need  to  exert  a  given  draw- 
bar pull  or  anything  you  desire  in  this  line.  Price,  50c. 

PASSENGER  CAR  CHART 

A  chart  showing  the  anatomy  of  a  passenger  car, 
having  every  part  of  the  car  numbered  and  its 
proper  name  given  in  a  reference  list.  Price,  20c. 

BOX  CAR  CHART 

A  chart  showing  the  anatomy  of  a  box  car,  having 
every  part  of  the  car  numbered  and  its  proper  name 
given  in  a  reference  list.  Price,  20c. 

GONDOLA  CAR  CHART 

A  chart  showing  the  anatomy  of  a  gondola  car,  hav- 
ing every  part  of  the  car  numbered  and  its  proper 
reference  name  given  in  a  reference  list.  Price,  20c. 


LINK  MOTIONS,  VALVES  AND 
VALVE  SETTING 

By  FRED  H.  COLVIN 
FULLY  ILLUSTRATED  PRICE,  50c. 

A  HANDY  book  for  the  engineer  or  machinist  that 
clears  up  the  mysteries  of  valve  setting.  Shows 
the  different  valve  gears  in  use,  how  they  work,  and 
why.  Piston  and  side  valves  of  different  types  are 
illustrated  and  explained.  A  book  that  every  rail  road 
man  in  the  motive  power  department  ought  to  have. 

CONTAINS  CHAPTERS  ON 

Locomotive  Link  Motion.— Direct  and  Indirect  Mo- 
tion ;  lap ;  lead ;  crossed  rods,  etc. 

Valve  Movements.— Twelve  charts  showing  com- 
plete movements  of  valves  under  various  conditions  of 
travel ;  lap  and  lead. 

Setting  Slide  Valve.— Finding  dead  centers ;  increas- 
ing or  decreasing  leads ;  changing  length  of  eccentric 
rods  or  blades  ;  moving  eccentrics  on  axle. 

Analysis  by  Diagrams.— Illustrates  the  various  con- 
ditions that  occur  with  direct  or  indirect  motion ;  inside 
and  outside  admission  and  different  methods  of  connect- 
ing the  link.  New  facts  and  rules  in  connection  with 
link  motions  and  valve  setting. 

Modern  Practice. — Shows  what  is  being  done  in  the 
matter  of  eccentric  rod  length  s ;  angularity  of  eccentric 
rods;  leads;  proportions  of  travel;  eccentric  throw; 
lap ;  ports ;  piston  speed,  etc. 

Slip  of  Block.— Illustrates  how  and  why  "Slip"  ex- 
ists and  how  it  is  hardly  considered  in  modern  practice. 

Slide  Valves.— Shows  balanced  D  Valve,  Allen  Valve 
and  Wilson's  American  Valve. 

Piston  Valves.— Shows  eight  varieties  of  piston 
valves;  two  styles  of  valve  bushings  or  cages  and  device 
for  getting  water  out  of  cylinder.  Gives  experience  of 
several  roads  with  piston  valves. 

Setting  Piston  Valves. — Plain  directions  on  points 
differing  from  slide  valves. 

Other  Valve  Gears.— Joy- Allen,  Walschaert,  Gooch, 
lllfull-Hubbell,  etc. 


A    CATECHISM    ON    THE 

COMBUSTION  OF  COAL 

AND  THE  PREVENTION  OF  SMOKE 

By  WILLIAM  M.  BARR.,  M.  E. 
Nearly  350  Pages    PRICE    $1.00    Fully  Illustrated 

A    PRACTICAL    TREATISE     FOR 
Engineers,    Firemen   and  all  others  interested  in  Fuel  Economy. 

T'O  be  a  success  a  fireman  must  be  "  Light  on  Coal."     He  must 

keep  his  fire  in  good  condition,  and  prevent,  as  far  as  possible, 

the  smoke  nuisance.    To  do  this,  he  should  know  how  coal  burns, 

how  smoke  is  formed  and  the  proper  burning  of  fuel  to  obtain  the 

best   results.       He   can    learn    this,    and    more   too,    from    Barr's 

"COMBUSTION    OF    COAL    AND    THE     PREVENTION     OF 

SMOKE."    It  is  an  absolute  authority. 

Contain*  nearly  500  questions  with  their  answers, 
giving  the  needed  information  to  enable  anyone  to  pass 
any  examination  on  combustion. 

AMONG  THE  SUBJECTS  TREATED  ARE 

Locomotive  Furnace  Details.  Limitations  of  Locomotive  Fire- 
Box.  Advantages  of  large  Grate  Area.  Rate  of  Combustion  in 
Locomotive  Boilers.  Function  of  Fire-Brick  Arch  in  Locomotive 
Fire- Boxes.  Usual  Construction  of  Brick  Arch  in  Locomotive  Fire- 
Boxes.  Does  the  Brick  Arch  in  Locomotive  Fire-Boxes  cause  leaky 
Flues?  Tubular  Water  Grates.  Stationary  Coal  Burning  Grate. 
Shaking  Grate.  Comparison  of  Evaporated  Power  of  Anthracite  and 
Bitutninuous  Coal  in  Locomotive  Practice.  Practical  results  of  single 
shovel  Firing  on  the  B.  C.  R.  and  N.  Ry.  Saving  in  Coal  by  light 
Firing  in  Locomotives.  The  best  Method  of  Firing  a  Locomotive. 
Noticeable  improvements  in  Connection  with  light  Firing  and  Boiler 
Repairs.  Direct  saving  upon  the  Brick  Arches  in  Locomotive  Fire- 
Boxes  by  Light  Firing.  Advantages  attained  by  the  lateral  exten- 
sion of  Locomotive  Fire-Boxes.  Disadvantages  of  a  wide  Fire-Box 
in  Locomotives.  Division  of  wide  Fire- Box  in  Locomotives  into  two 
separate  Furnaces.  Evaporative  results  in  ordinary  Locomotive 
Practice-  Most  efficient  form  of  Exhaust  Tip.  Size  of  average 
Exhaust  Tips.  Conclusions  reached  regarding  means  for  increase 
in  Production  of  Steam  by  Increased  Draft.  Strong's  Locomotive 
Firebox.  How  the  Smokeless  Combustion  of  Bituminuous  Coal  is 
carried  out  in  Pratice  in  Locomotives.  Details  of  front  ends  of  Loco- 
motives So.  Pac.  Ry.  Furnace  Door  Details.  Details  of  Shaking 
Grate.  Details  of  Ash  Pan.  Facts  given  in  daily  report  of  Traveling 
Firemen  So.  Pac.  Ry. 

Hydrocarbon  Oil  as  a  Fuel  for  Locomotives.  Heating  Power  of 
Crude  Petroleum.  Success  attending  the  use  of  Liquid  Fuel  as 
Auxiliary  to  Coal  for  Locomotive  Engines.  Changes  necessary  to 
Convert  a  Coal  into  an  Oil-Burning  Locomotive.  Construction  of 
Atomizers  for  Burning  Oil  on  So.  Cal.  Railroad.  How  Oil  is  supplied 
to  Burner  under  Pressure.  Size  of  Exhaust  nozzle  when  burning 
Oil.  Are  Oil  Fires  Smokeless?  Effect  of  Products  of  Combustion  of 
an  Oil  Fire  upon  the  Tubes  of  a  Boiler.  Relative  cost  of  Oil  and 
Coal  as  a  Fuel  in  Locomotive  Practice. 


THE  APPLICATION  OF  HIGHLY 

SUPERHEATED  STEAM  TO  LOCOMOTIVES 

By  ROBERT  GARBE 

Edited  by  LESLIE  S.  ROBERTSON 

Very  fully  Illustrated  with  Folding  Plates  and  Tables 

PRICE,  $2.50 

A  PRACTICAL  work  specially  prepared  for  the  use 
•**>  of  all  interested  in  the  application  of  superheated 
steam  to  locomotives,  written  by  a  man  who  probably 
has  had  greater  experience  and  is  more  thoroughly 
familar,  in  a  practical  way,  with  superheated  steam  in 
locomotive  practice  than  any  other  man  on  either  conti- 
ent.  While  the  book  deals  with  highly  superheated 
steam,  the  matter  of  low  superheat  is  thoroughly  dis- 
cussed. In  addition  to  the  theoretical  discussion  of  the 
subject  the  book  also  contains  full  illustrated  descrip- 
tions, with  a  discussion  of  the  merits,  of  all  the  better 
known  superheaters  in  the  world.  The  details  of  the 
locomotive,  outside  of  the  superheater,  for  satisfactorily 
using  steam  at  this  high  temperature  are  discussed  and 
the  designs  introduced  by  Herr  Garbe  are  illustrated. 
Reports  on  a  number  of  very  complete  and  practical 
tests  form  the  concluding  chapter  of  the  work.  This 
book  cannot  be  recommended  too  highly  to  those  motive 
power  men  who  are  anxious  to  maintain  the  highest 
efficiency  in  their  locomotives. 

CONTAINS  CHAPTERS  ON 

I.— GENERATION  OF  HIGHLY  SUPERHEATED  STEAM. 

II.— SUPERHEATED  STEAM  AND  THE  TWO-CYLINDER 

SIMPLE  ENGINE. 

III.— COMPOUNDING  AND  SUPERHEATING. 
IV.— DESIGNS  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  SUPERHEATERS. 
.  V.-DESIGNS  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  SUPERHEATERS.-confd 
'VI.-CONSTRUCTIVE   DETAILS  OF   LOCOMOTIVES    US- 
ING HIGHLY  SUPERHEATED  STEAM. 

VII.— EXPERIMENTAL  AND  WORKING  RESULTS  WITH 
SUPERHEATED  STEAM  LOCOMOTIVES. 


JUST   PUBLISHED 

DIARY  OF  A 
ROUND  HOUSE  FOREMAN 

By  T.  S.  REILLY 

Late  Associate  Editor  "Railway  Review." 

176  PAGES  PRICE  $1.00 


nTHIS  is  the  Greatest  Book  of  Railroad  Experiences 
*  ever  published.  Containing  a  fund  of  information 
and  suggestions  along  the  line  of  handling  men,  organ- 
izing, etc.,  that  one  cannot  afford  to  miss.  Railroad 
men  in  any  capacity  will  thoroughly  enjoy  and  appreci- 
ate the  valuable  hints  and  funny  experiences  contained 
between  the  covers  of  this  book.  It  will  at  once  find 
a  permanent  place  in  the  library  of  all  who  want  to  get 
ahead,  as  well  as  those  who  have  climbed  the  ladder 
and  enjoy  looking  back  to  the  characters  and  times 
found  only  on  a  railroad. 

New  stories  and  laughable  experiences  are  told,  as  can  only  be 
done,  by  one  filled  with  the  sense  of  Irish  humor  and  the  power  of 
imparting:  in  writing  the  humorous  incidents  connected  with  the 
knotty  problems  involved  in  every  day  life  of  a  round-house  foreman. 

While  most  of  the  suggestions  are  specifically  connected  with  the 
duties  of  a  round-house  foreman,  many  of  the  stories  are,  in  reality, 
part  of  Mr.  Reilly's  life,  obtained  while  holding  positions  of  Machin- 
ist, Round  -  House  Foreman,  Fireman,  Engineer,  Master  Mechanic 
and  Superintendent  of  Motive  Power. 

These  articles  first  appeared  serially  in  the  "  Railway  Review  " 
and  are  now  put  in  book  form,  on  account  of  the  continued  requests 
from  readers  for  them.  The  author,  a  jolly  fellow  liked  by  all,  had 
the  faculty  of  seeing  a  thread  of  fun  in  the  most  serious  of  complica- 
tions. 

An   Interesting   Book  for   Every  Railroad   Man  to 
Read  and  Profit  By. 


SIXTH  EDITION  JUST   PUBLISHED 


MACHINE  SHOP  ARITHMETIC 

By  COLVIN-  CHENEY 
145  Pages  Price,  SOc.         Bound  in  Cloth 


THIS  is  an  arithmetic  of  the  things  you  have  to  do 
with  daily.  It  tells  you  plainly  about :  how  to 
find  areas  of  figures  —  how  to  find  surface  or 
volume  of  balls  or  spheres  —  handy  ways  for  calcula- 
ting —  about  compound  gearing  —  cutting  screw  threads 
on  any  lathe  —  drilling  for  taps  —  speeds  of  drills, 
taps,  emery  wheels,  grindstones,  milling  cutters,  etc. 
—  all  about  the  Metric  system  with  conversion  tables  — 
properties  of  metals  —  strength  of  bolts  and  nuts  — 
decimal  equivalent  of  an  inch.  All  sorts  of  machine 
shop  figuring  and  1001  other  things,  any  one  of  which 
ought  to  be  worth  more  than  the  price  of  this  book  to 
you,  as  it  saves  you  the  trouble  of  bothering  the 
boss. 


This  is  one  of  the  most  popular  Mechanical  book* 
in  print.  It  contains  the  greatest  half  a  dollar's  worth  of 
information  ever  put  between  the  two  covers  of  a  book. 
Treats  on  everything  relating  to  Machine  Shop  figuring. 


JUST  PUBLISHED. 


Prevention  of  Railroad  Accidents 

OR 

Safety  in  Railroading 

By  GEORGE  BRADSHAW 
POCKET  SIZE  p.  e0  FULLY 

192  PAGES  *  rice,  auc.  ILLUSTRATED 

A  HEART-TO-HEART  talk  with  Railroad  Employes, 
dealing  with  facts,  not  theories,  and  showing  the 
men  in  the  ranks,  from  every-day  experience,  how 
accidents  occur  and  how  they  may  be  avoided.  The 
book  is  illustrated  with  seventy  original  photographs 
and  drawings  showing  the  safe  and  unsafe  methods  of 
work.  No  visionary  schemes,  no  ideal  pictures.  Just 
plain  facts  and  Practical  Suggestions  are  given.  Every 
railroad  employe  who  reads  the  books  is  a  better  and 
safer  man  to  have  in  railroad  service.  It  gives  just 
the  information  which  will  be  the  means  of  preventing 
many  injuries  and  deaths. 

The  author  of  this  work  is  employed  by  the  N.  Y.  C.  &  H.  R.  R.R. 
in  special  service  for  the  prevention  of  accidents.  For  many  years  he 
has  been  constantly  engaged  in  the  study  of  railroad  accidents,  and 
from  the  mass  of  facts,  obtained  by  years  of  study,  he  has  formed 
certain  conclusions  as  to  the  prevention  of  accidents. 

One  of  these  conclusions  is  that  the  majority  of  preventable  acci- 
dents are  due,  not  to  defective  material  or  improper  method,  but  to 
the  men  themselves.  While  considerations  of  safety  still  call  for 
much  improvement  in  physical  conditions,  it  is  a  fact  that  in  no  field 
of  activity  has  there  been  greater  material  advancement  than  in  rail- 
roading. Yet  the  record  of  injury  to  employes  has  been  growing 
worse  every  year. 

This  work  takes  up  the  human  element  in  a  heart-to-heart  talk 
with  employes.  It  show  them  (1)  the  seriousness  of  the  personal  in- 
jury problem  and  that  they  are  the  real  sufferers  from  present  condi- 
tions ;  and  (2)  how  they  themselves  are  responsible  for  the  personal 
injury  record  and  how  they  can  improve  it. 


All  Railroad  Employes  should  procure  a  copy,  read  it, 
and  do  their  part  in  preventing  accidents. 


LIBRARY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  BEFORE  CLOSING  TIME 
ON  LAST  DATE  STAMPED  BELOW 

IBRARY  USE    A^R  161971  4  9 


NOV  1 5  19BZ 

(EC.CIR.   NOV6    '82 


LD  62A-30m-2,'69 
(J6534slO)9412A — A-32 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


6WQRD    BROS. 
SBn^^^H 

SYRACUSE  -  K.Y. 


